Fields of Gold
by Ginger Sheikah
Summary: "In this field, we are not enemies..." those words were not just an invitation to simply be neutral allies. They were a quiet seduction, a compelling plea to become something more. Her enemy was beckoning and she was about to answer his call. Zelda/Ganondorf. Set during TP *Rated T for language and mature themes*
1. Slowly Fading Light

" _You'll remember me…"_

" _When the summer sun shines down on you and the wind blows warm and gentle…"_

" _You will be drawn to the golden field…"_

" _You will sense me there with you…"_

" _You will come back to feel me there…"_

" _You will want to remember how we felt…how I felt…"_

" _You will never want to forget…"_

" _You will always come back…"_

" _You will want to remember…"_

" _And even though it will never be the same…"_

" _You will always come back to the field…"_

" _To come back to me…"_

* * *

 **So the Twilight came**. An everlasting shadow was cast over the once green, vibrant land. A dreary, never ending cycle of dull clouds replaced the sunlight and stars. The people became as spirits, their remaining souls becoming helpless and terrified shadows, never understanding the change that took over them. Strange beasts roamed the forests and fields. They were dark, faceless things that crept over the land, crawling on all fours with their bellies to the ground. Their screams could be heard piercing the gloom. Zelda heard the sound of their cries from the top of her prison tower. She shuddered as the stale wind carried the sound up to her vigil on the balcony. Every hair stood on end and she felt afraid. These were the creatures of her nightmares.

She turned her eyes to the pale orange sky. A winged, black scaly beast was lazily drifting through the low hanging clouds. It was not a bird or a dragon or anything of the world she knew. The thing was something new, a creation of the mad usurper king that now called her land his home. Zelda was wise enough to know that the Twili who called himself Zant was not the true power behind the uprising. The Twilight belonged to Zant, but he himself was not powerful enough to bring this world through the ancient Mirror of Twilight. No, he was working on borrowed power. Some other force was at work, controlling the easily manipulated Usurper King and staying hidden in the shadows until the time was right to strike. She could feel a hint of the power underneath the Twilight. It was like the faint scent of a rose, drifting on a breeze, barely discernable but just enough to be detected. She could sense something strong, something familiar, something dark and far more deadly than Twilight.

Zelda hung her head in sadness and pulled her thick cloak closer to her body. Without the comforting warmth of the sun, the Twilight remained dim, cold, and misty. The pitiful fire she managed to ignite in the hearth was the only source of warmth she had. She gave one last look to the shifting clouds and wandered back inside. She walked to the hearth, which was wafting out small breaths of warmth from a few smoldering logs. Zelda knelt on the floor and began to poke around the embers with a stick.

She knew no concept of time. There were no days or nights. Her internal clock told her when it was time to sleep and time to be awake. She had fallen asleep close to twenty times since her imprisonment, so Zelda guessed that she had been captive for about twenty days. Even so, her body was weak, tired, and confused. When she wanted to sleep, the perpetual light made her mind think that it was still day. Because of this, her sleep was restless and her waking moments were full of exhaustion. Zelda was trying desperately to keep herself together. Emotion was constantly bubbling to the surface. Tears came without her permission and her eyes were red rimmed and puffy from wiping away tears hour after hour. Sleeplessness picked away at her defenses and her mental strength was waning. At times, a pressing guilt would wash over her. What have I done, she would ask herself. How could I let this happen to my people, my home…to myself? Her reasons for letting Zant invade Hyrule were becoming less and less clear. The confidence and faith she had felt at that dark hour were quickly fading. It seemed as though the goddesses were not listening to her, or were unable to hear her prayers through the twilight fog. All she could do was stand watch at her tower balcony and stare off into the distance. When the guilt waned, it left a heavy sadness. Each day was becoming more of a burden and the guilt became more pressing and the sadness heavier. Zelda longed for the sun, the stars, and the moon. She ached for some normalcy to bring her back to where she needed to be.

Her only solace came from a visit with a sharp-tongued, quick-witted Twili imp named Midna. A small ray of hope shone through the dim in the form of a possible Hero; the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Zelda did not know if he even existed or where Midna would find him, but that tiny chance of finding the Hero gave her some modicum of peace.

That visit had been ten sleeps ago and Zelda was starting to feel the heaviness again. She began to despair of ever finding the Hero of old. Zelda tried so hard to fight the gloom, to have hope in the goddesses and faith in the hero, but the burden was too pressing and she had no reprieve. Food had begun to be tasteless and she could no longer stomach anything. As she watched the glowing reds and yellows of the burning logs, Zelda imagined that she was staring at the warm, summer sun. Closing her eyes, Zelda began to recall the happy, carefree days of her youth. She had spent many a summer afternoon playing in the sunbathed courtyard or swimming in the cool, clear waters of Lake Hylia. Her father had always been with her then. Zelda remembered the sound of the crickets singing a cheerful goodnight song as the sun set on the horizon. Her father would pick her up in his strong arms and carry her tired little body back to the castle. When they day came once again, she would go to the lush fields of corn, wheat, barley, maize, and anything else you could possibly grow in the summertime. Her father would teach her about each different crop and explain to her about economy and agriculture. Those lessons might have been boring to any other child, but Zelda loved to learn and she loved her father for being her greatest teacher. As she reflected on countless summer days past, Zelda did not even notice her body grow limp and her mind become fuzzy. Sleep took her unexpectedly and soon the Princess was fast asleep on the dusty stone floor.

 **When she awoke** , a pair of dark, smooth hands were softly caressing her face. Long sleeves of an ornate robe were swishing against her shoulders. Through bleary vision, Zelda saw that she was nose to nose with a pale blue face. Monstrous yellow eyes stared blankly back at her.

"Zant…" Zelda muttered weakly as she tried to shake her face out of his grasp. "Don't ever touch me." She tried to yell, but her voice came out as a shaky whisper.

"The guards came into your room. They saw you lying on the floor and presumed that you were dead," Zant replied, his eerily calm voice breaking the stillness of the room. His hands remained pressed against her skin and his eyes still stared. Most of the times that Zelda had seen him, he showed hardly any emotion other than a cool, deceptively calm and controlled demeanor. There were other times though when he became uncontrollable, wild as an animal. He would scream a more hideous scream than his Twilight beasts and his speech was an angry, violent jumble of words and threats and thoughts. Zelda could not decide which was worse; the ominous, seemingly stable man or the insane, wild animal.

"I came to see if you were still alive. We can't have you dead. That would be most unfortunate." Zant finished with a hushed voice, as though afraid that somebody might overhear him. Zelda pushed herself into a sitting position and saw that her guards, Twili minions, were gathered at the entrance of her room. Zant's hands slid from her cheeks, though he remained sitting next to Zelda. Her mind was still muddled from sleep and she felt very disoriented. Something about that sleep had been different. Her eyes wandered to the windows and they sky had changed from orange to purple. Zelda had been asleep for quite some time. Though she had probably slept more than she had in days, Zelda did not feel rested. In fact, she felt more exhausted and ill than she had before. Zelda ignored Zant as she stood to her feet and stumbled over to her bed. Zant's eyes followed her every movement. Zelda wondered what he thought of her, this pitiful creature of light suffering in the darkness. What were his ultimate plans for her? Why was it so important that she stay alive? Zelda pulled the thin, ragged bedclothes over her now shivering body. She was so cold.

"You must eat," Zant commanded in his spine-tingling voice. He gestured with a black, thin hand to a plate of gray, unappetizing food that was sitting on a small table near Zelda's bed. "We can't have you dead." Her stomach turned as she looked at the plate of food. Zelda shifted to the other side of the bed, her back now to Zant and his minions. As if unsure of what to do in the Princess's rebellion, Zant stood there in the same spot, his body slightly swaying as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"You must eat. We can't have you dead. My master will not be happy if you are dead." Zant spoke with a hint of fear in his voice. Zelda dimly registered that he mentioned a "master." His swaying became more apparent the longer Zelda ignored him. Fearing a maniacal breakdown in her chamber, she slowly pulled herself out of bed and shuffled to the table with the food. She forced herself to take a bite. It took all her strength to keep the tasteless food down. A sense of calm seemed to wash over Zant and his swaying ceased.

"We will be keeping a closer watch on you, Princess. We can't have you dead…" Zelda only nodded, holding the food in her mouth and pretending to swallow. After what seemed like ages, Zant finally left. The very second Zelda was alone, she spat out her food and threw the scraps into the fire. It was not that she didn't want to eat. She simply couldn't. Zelda would have given anything to be able to eat, but her mind and body were spent. Bitter, angry tears formed in the young woman's eyes as she managed to find her way back to bed. All she wanted to do was fall on the mattress, curl up, and sleep until this horrid nightmare that was her life was over.

Zelda lay down on her bed and huddled into a shivering ball. The gloom was settling in. Guilt returned. She should be strong. She was being weak and frail. Her people needed her to be mentally sound and physically capable, not this weeping, guilt-ridden mess of a human being. Yet she could not be what the people needed. She was afraid. She was ashamed. She was losing hope and faith. Her prayers and pleas grew weaker each day, as well as her spirit and body. She was failing herself and failing Hyrule. Zelda scolded herself until she fell back into a deep, fitful slumber.

 **Cycles of sleep** melded into each other until Zelda could no longer remember how many times she had rested. She lost track of any shred of time that she had tried to keep. Not that she cared any longer. It had been far too long since she had seen Midna and from what she understood from the whispered, hushed conversations between her guards, most of Hyrule was now covered in Twilight. Only the Ordonian Province was left and it was proving difficult to get under control. Hyrule was slipping between her silk covered fingers and she could not do a thing to help herself any longer. Her health continued to deteriorate. Zelda could not keep herself awake for more than what seemed a few hours. Each time she awoke, the guards would push food towards her. She would ignore it. It went to the point where Zant himself would try to coax her into eating. In her fevered, near delusional mind she thought it was rather touching how the shadow beings were trying so hard to keep her alive.

When it became that Zelda wouldn't even awaken at their arrival, Zant decided to take drastic measures. Zelda felt a pair of hands lift her up from under her arms and force her to her feet. She took a few tentative steps before stumbling. The hands were back and they caught her before she tumbled down to the floor. Zelda looked to her left, then to her right and saw that she was being supported by two shadow beings. She was too weak to even be frightened. Their cold, dead touch was almost a welcome comfort. It had been so long since she had any companionship or human contact. The loneliness was unbearable. At this point, she would have accepted a friendly hug from even Zant.

The beasts supported her as they marched through the quiet, dark hallways of her castle. Zelda looked around at the Twilight that had settled into every corner, every crevice of her home. Her sadness deepened as Zelda remembered how these barren hallways were once full of people, laughter, and life. Now the emptiness was a dark reminder of the present state of the world. She hung her head in shame and let the beasts carry her prone form the rest of the way.

They unceremoniously dumped her on the hard marble floor of her throne room. The towering, open arched doorway let the soft purple glow of Twilight fill the ornate chamber. The sharp cold of the marble against Zelda's cheek seemed to fill her with some awareness. Realizing that she was lying face first on the floor of her very own throne room filled her with enough strength to have the dignity to painfully lift herself to her knees. As she did, Zelda caught sight of a face staring back at her in the polished, shiny marble. The face was thin, gaunt, and pulled into a morose frown. Zelda's fingers glided over the smooth floor as the traced the outline of the chin. This was her face. She had not even recognized herself at first. A single tear trickled out of the corner of her eye, trailing down her thin cheek and falling to the floor without a sound.

Zelda pulled her gaze away from her miserable reflection and finally raised her head. Every being in the room was waiting in tense silence for her to make a move. The shadow beings were poised around her, ready to subdue her if necessary. Zant was nervously rocking on his feet, wringing his hands and muttering incoherently to the figure sitting on the throne.

Somebody was sitting in her throne and it was not Zant. Zelda's mind was frantically trying to push past the haze and grasp at the mental prowess and confidence she once had. She needed to snap out of her reverie. Something terrible was taking place, even more terrible than the Twilight. She recognized the figure on her throne. From the designs on the clothing to the type of armor, she recognized both from countless history books she studied, though its type had not been seen in a century. The skin was tanned and the hair was the color of fire. His eyes, his terrible eyes were two pools of molten gold.

She knew him from the tales passed down in lore and history. She knew him from visions and dreams, images that once belonged to her ancestor and namesake; the Zelda who had hid from him for seven years before finally aiding the Hero of Old in his final battle with the ancient foe. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she knew him. And he knew her.

Ganondorf.

Zelda trembled as she saw that the Gerudo King was staring at her. So this was the power behind Zant. She should have realized. This man, this thief had been after her throne for an age. He was now leaning casually in her throne, his arm propped up and his chin resting on his fingers. His brow furrowed as he continued to look down at her. Zant mumbled continuously, but Ganondorf seemed to pay him no mind. Zelda's eyes met Ganondorf's and they held each other's gaze. Life coursed through her veins like a fire and Zelda felt herself slowly returning. Anger replaced guilt. Justice burned away at shame. His silence mocked her. Zelda almost wished that he would stand to his feet and make an arrogant, rambling monologue to her about how he had this diabolical plan, how she was weak, and how nobody would be there to save her. She could not say why this silence bothered her, but it did. His brow furrowed deeper and even his lips fell into a somber frown. Zelda cringed. It tasted too much like pity and she despised any sense of grief for her from her ancient enemy. Underneath her righteous anger, she felt like a fool. How dare she let herself be weak when a thing like Ganondorf was sitting his massive haunches on her throne. She was stronger than that. In the face of her adversary, Zelda decided that it was high time she pulled her wits together and push herself back into the light, even if the only light around came from within her. It was time.

Zelda, though still shaky, gathered enough energy to stand. She wouldn't be found sitting beneath him a second longer. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow at her sudden burst of strength. Zant, however, burst forth in an unexpected fit of agitation.

"Master! Look at the girl! For days she has refused to rise from her bed and now she stands before you as though she had the strength all along! I think that she has been deceiving us! She will trick us, take us by surprise and then—"

"Quiet," the Gerudo menacingly interjected. He did not yell or curse or threaten. The command was a simple word, but his voice rumbled dangerously through the chamber room like thunder. Zant shriveled before his master and his voice choked out with an abrupt, frightened whimper. The shadow beings around Zelda all recoiled at the sound of Ganondorf's word. The Gerudo turned his sharp eyes to the still cowering Twili and gave him a hostile glare before continuing.

"Do not think that I would be so easily deceived. It would take much more than feigning an illness to mislead me. However," Ganondorf turned back to Zelda. She put a firm, stern expression and held her head high. "I do not doubt for a second that this one would be capable enough to play me for a fool." His eyes narrowed. "No…she would be the quiet storm. We would never see her rage coming, not until it was already upon us. And it would not be so obvious as pretending to be sick. The Princess is smarter than that. Her simplest plans would be far more clever than anything you could devise, Zant." Ganondorf lifted himself out of Zelda's throne and drew himself to his full height. He would have towered above Zelda, had she been standing close to him.

"Yet now, she is far from able. You need only look at her to see that she is unwell." His eyes roamed over her, taking in her haggard appearance. Zelda saw the pity return to his sun colored irises. She felt her cheeks flush with unwarranted emotion. She could not hold her tongue for another moment.

"Ganondorf! You cannot—"

"Zant!" The Gerudo interrupted, cutting off Zelda before she had a chance to even speak for herself. She swallowed her words and wounded pride. Ganondorf continued as though Zelda had never even spoken. "You do not have flowers in your world of Twilight do you?" Ganondorf asked gruffly. Zant shook his head no. The Gerudo placed his hands behind his back and regarded Zant, almost thoughtfully. Zelda was curious, despite herself. "I thought not," Ganondorf continued. "No sun would mean no flowers or grass or trees. Living in constant dusk, a flower would wither and fade. Zelda, a light dweller, is like a flower. They crave the sun. They needs the sun's nourishment or else they will die."

The throne room fell silent once more. Zant had cocked his head to the side, as trying to comprehend why any living creature would need sunlight for any reason. Sunlight killed Twili. He could simply not understand. Zelda herself was baffled at how Ganondorf, her long time enemy, would regard her with such decency, even so far as to compare her to a flower.

She found her voice again. "What are you trying to do?" She demanded. Though Zelda's throat was raw and scratchy from disuse, her words echoed sharply through the chamber. She waited for him to answer. Ganondorf glared back at Zelda. This time not a hint of pity showed in his features. His face was stern, ugly with sudden anger. Zelda did not falter. With a huff, Ganondorf turned away from the Princess. For half a second, Zelda thought that she saw his face fall. The moment was gone in a flash and the Gerudo was facing Zant again.

"This Twilight is killing her," he growled to a cowering Zant. "Creatures of light were not meant to live without the sun. The Princess is more use to us alive than dead. Do what it takes to keep her living." Ganondorf jerked his head in the direction of the entrance. Zant nodded his head and rushed over to Zelda's side. The shadow beings grabbed her arms and began to lead her to the door.

"NO!" She yelled, suddenly aware that the meeting was finished. "NO, WAIT!" Zelda was livid. She needed to stay. She had to talk to the man who had taken control of her Kingdom. Something needed to be done! She could NOT be taken away so soon.

Her cries rang over the cold stone walls of her throne room, ignored and useless. The Gerudo King has rested himself back in her throne. A dark shadow fell over his face and all she saw as she was dragged away were his two eyes, shining like suns in the blackness.

 **Her yelling and struggling** had zapped Zelda of what little strength she had been able to muster. She was back inside her tower room, sprawled across the bed. Her mind was a swarm of thoughts and emotions. The fire she had felt in the Throne Room was gone and the gloom was once again creeping back. Yet, she found that it was easier to suppress. Ganondorf had said that the Twilight was killing her. Knowing the possible cause of her depression gave her some sense of fight and fire, and even a faint glimmer of hope. What if Ganondorf was right? What if it was the abominable Twilight that was making her sick? She was a light dweller that needed the sun and what if this constant dusk was poisoning her? Zelda begrudgingly admitted to herself that Ganondorf's claim made sense. She felt selfish for feeling this way, but it made her less ashamed of her downward spiral into despair. There were forces at work that were completely out of her control and her body was thrown into a world that it was not meant to survive. What then would be her next course of action? She had no way to escape the Twilight and Zelda knew that it would be a matter of time when the sickness would come over her again. Panic was rising to the surface and she hastily shoved it down. For the first time in too long, Zelda said a quick prayer to the goddesses, asking for relief from the Twilight and for her mind to not succumb to it again.

Zelda was too anxious to fall asleep. She had been dead to the world for a long time and she did not think that she could sleep even if she wanted to. It was time to stay awake. Something in the atmosphere had changed after her encounter with Ganondorf and she wanted to be as aware as possible for anything that might come her way. She sat up in bed and pulled her legs to her chest.

Then she waited. Zelda knew that she was waiting for something. Some instinct told her that it was only a matter of time before something drastic was going to take place. Zelda wondered if the goddesses were placing this sense of anticipation on her heart, or if the wisdom she gained from her Triforce allowed her to sense the supernatural.

The sky outside slowly changed from purple to brown to orange and she wondered idly if the changes in the color of a sky meant that a "day" had completed its cycle. She watched as black particles floated from the ground right up into the hazy heavens. She wondered what those things were. Also, every noise that she made seemed to have its own echo. How obnoxious would it be to live in a place where every single sound that you made had an echo? Everything about the Twilight was so strange and unnecessary. She found herself hating those logic defying pieces of twilight for no rational reason. Perhaps she was just bitter. Zelda suddenly shook her head, ridding herself of those negative thoughts. She needed to stay strong. This was no time to fall back into that sad, despairing hole.

Zelda was unsurprised to hear the sound of footsteps climbing the tower staircase. Zant and some of the shadow beings soon gathered at the door of her open room. His pupil-less eyes stared blankly for several moments.

"It is time, Princess. My master demands your recovery. You will come with us." He commanded in a voice as blank as his eyes. Anxious to see the outcome of this twist of events, Zelda hopped off the bed and donned her cloak. Zant and his shadow beasts seemed nervous. She obeyed Zant's command to follow him. She did so willingly. The tall Twili led his strange retinue out of the castle and into the quiet, somber streets of Castle Town. Glowing blue and green spirits floated through the town square. A haunted chill ran through her. Those spirits had been her loyal subjects. They wound their way through the town and went out one of the smaller city gates. They walked a dusty, well-worn path that she was not familiar with. Zelda could not guess where she was being taken, but she was excited and anxious all at once. She did not sense any apparent danger and she even felt a sense of calm.

After a short while, Zant and his minions stopped in front of a massive, pure black wall. Confused, Zelda looked in both directions. The wall went for miles and miles. She craned her neck and found that the wall reached all the way to the sky, seemingly never stopping.

"Where have you taken me?" She asked, more curious than afraid. Zant was more frightened than she was. He was wringing his hands and swaying as though caught in a whirlwind.

"Zant," she repeated. "What is this?"

The Twili rocked a few more seconds before answering. "This is the edge of Twilight," he stammered. His sense of control was quickly fading.

"Well…" Zelda was very unsure why she was brought here. "How will this help me recover? What do you want me to do about it?"

"Step through," he snapped. His nerves were fraying. Zelda looked at the looming black behemoth of Twilight before her and she was highly skeptical.

"Step through? What will happen to me if I do?" Zelda inquired. After all that she had been through, stepping into the unknown "edge of Twilight," did not seem like a smart idea.

Zelda never got her answer. Zant's bony hands pushed against her shoulders and she fell backwards into the blackness. Zelda had no time to scream. White, blinding light flooded her vision. She closed her eyes in pain of the sudden brightness. Zelda fell with a thud as her back hit the hard ground. She spent several minutes gasping for air, her eyes still stinging from the onslaught of light that were unused to seeing.

There was warmth. Comforting warmth wrapped around her like a blanket. Zelda's fury at Zant for pushing her into the Twilight flickered out and was forgotten. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, Zelda realized that she was no longer in the shadow of the unnatural twilight. She was somewhere familiar. Finally, Zelda was able to open her eyes and look at the world around her.

Pure, beautiful sunlight shone down upon her. The sky was a clear blue with not a single cloud above. All around her was a field of barley. The golden stalks were swaying in the warm breeze. For miles, this field stretched on and on. Far in the distance, Zelda could see another black wall of Twilight. In fact, all around her the field was guarded by the towering Twilight. Only this pocket of golden field was free from the darkness. Zelda choked out a noise that was between a sob and a laugh. She was free. The hold that the Twilight had on her body was slipping away. The sunlight and sky invigorated her. For a fleeting second she felt like herself again. Zelda stood to her feet, knees shaking, and she threw off her cloak. Next came her gloves and then the light armor that she wore on her shoulders. Zelda took off her crown and unbraided her hair, letting her honey colored locks fly free in the wind. Without all the armor and things, Zelda wore only the simple lilac gown.

She sighed in contentment as her arms and shoulders basked in the sunlight. How wonderful it felt to stand in the sun after so long of being in the cold, dank Twilight! Zelda could not understand why this field was in sunlight while the rest of Hyrule was covered in Twilight, but for now, she would not question it. She would simply enjoy the time she had in this field. Feeling enough strength, Zelda began to walk slowly down the dirt path. She tuned left and waded though the waist-high barley. The stalks swished gently around her. Zelda did not realize that she would have thought that a field could be so beautiful. Her tired, near starved body did not make it far before she had to sit down. Zelda lowered herself onto the ground and was swallowed up by the field as she lay on her back, looking up into the vast blue sky. A sudden, wonderful thought came to her mind. Why not stay here? The Twili could not retrieve her. The pure light would kill them. No wonder Zant had been so anxious by the wall. He was terribly close to death even being near the sunlight!

Her mind went back to the dilemma. If she tried to go back into the Twilight from another spot on the wall, then there would surely be a shadow being waiting for her. If not, then they would be able to track her down if she tried to run. Zelda would weaken again once she went back into the Twilight. No, it would be far better to stay here. She was sure that she could manage. Maybe the goddesses had a plan for her here. Perhaps the Hero would find her in the field! Or, it might be a completely foolish idea to stay here, she mused. Zelda hoped that her wish of staying here would be true. Zelda did not think that she could abide going back to the miserable world she came from after being in the sun again.

Zelda smiled as the grass tickled her skin and she found herself laughing quietly. When was the last time she had smiled, much less even laughed? Time drifted by slowly. The wind blew softly and the barley swayed dreamily. It wasn't long before Zelda watched as the sun dip lower and lower in the sky. Feeling at ease for the first time in weeks, Zelda closed her eyes and let her body fall into a deep, relaxed state.

 **She must have fallen asleep,** for Zelda woke with a snap. She heard the unmistakable crunch of grass being trod on. The small world was aglow with the reds and oranges of a sunset. Zelda found that she did not dread or hate this twilight. The dusk seemed natural and friendly, not sinister and cold. Yet she had no time to enjoy it. There was something in this field. She was not alone. Zelda scrambled to her knees and crouched like a lion in the barley. Her keen eyes scanned through the stalks, searching for any sign of her companion. She quickly found him. He was hard to miss.

Ganondorf was walking through the field. His tall form towered over the grass. Against the brilliant sunset, he was only a dark silhouette stalking through the barley. She could tell that he was looking for her. A puff of wind lifted Zelda's hair as her body remained perfectly still. Her dream of staying in the field seemed so silly now. Still, the thought of being caught like a mouse by Ganondorf and dragged back to her castle did not seem like something she wanted to add to her list of terrible things that happened to her.

Ganondorf was not a Twili. He, like Zelda, was a creature of light. Zant would not have sent her to this field if he did not have a way to bring her back out of it. Zelda would at least try to sneak away without getting caught. She took one last look at the dark shape in the field, and then she began to crawl in the other direction. She went slowly, carefully. Her heart pounded and sweat beaded on her brow. Ganondorf could not find her.

By some horrible stroke of luck, the hem of her dress got caught on a branch. With an edge of panic, Zelda started tugging on her skirt, trying to free herself. As she did, Zelda heard a thunderous crashing. Stalks were being trampled as a massive figure charged through the field. He had heard her! Zelda yanked her skirt, leaving a gaping hole in the fabric, and began to run as fast as she could. She frantically looked over her shoulder. He was not behind her. She looked around and a scream stuck in her throat. He was right in front of her. Before Zelda could stop herself, she ran right into his broad chest.

She gasped in fright and raised her arms to defend herself. Zelda reached inside herself and tried to muster up some magic to fight Ganondorf. The Gerudo was too quick. He grabbed her wrists and tightened his fingers around her like a vice. She held back a whimper of pain. Her arms feebly fought against him, but it was no use. She was stuck. Ganondorf leered down at her with his golden eyes. A wicked smirk slowly spread across his face.

"Princess," he murmured deeply. "Did you think that you were going to escape?" A slow, rumbling noise came from within his chest. He was laughing at her!

"I was going to try," Zelda hissed angrily. She was beyond furious that he laughed at her feeble attempts at escape.

Ganondorf's smile turned into a condescending smirk. "I have to admit, watching you crawl on the ground like an animal was more amusement than I've had in a hundred years."

Zelda's cheeks burned with anger and embarrassment.

"How dare you!" She snapped, trying to clutch at any shred of dignity she had left. Zelda pulled against the Gerudo. Ganondorf simply yanked her arms and he pulled her even closer. His face was inches from hers. She could feel his breath warming the air between them. His eyes bore into hers. She saw a raging fire within them. The two golden irises were full of triumph, malice, and elation. He was not amused by her fight.

"I brought you here for solace, for an escape from that sickening Twilight," he growled. "Do not take advantage of my generosity." A thinly veiled threat was woven into the sonorous tones of his voice.

Zelda scoffed. "Generosity? Do you want gratitude from me? I think not! Give me back my kingdom and then we will discuss how generous you are! For that, I will be _ever_ so grateful," she replied with utter disdain. Zelda struggled within his grasp. If only she could get her hands out of his grasp, then she might be able to stand against him. She could put an end to the Twilight once and for all. Ganondorf sensed her desperation to be free and he only held on tighter.

Ganondorf laughed darkly in response to her. "I'm sorry, Princess. I'm afraid that I cannot do that. I've waited a hundred years for this chance and now Hyrule is ripe for the taking. I cannot give all that up now, just to make you happy." Zelda glared at him as she saw that he was mocking her, truly mocking her. Tears of frustration grew in the corners of her eyes and she cursed the weakness she was showing. She could not let him see her cry. She refused to let her vulnerability show. Not after he had seen her so frail and helpless before…

"Why?" She cried suddenly. "After hundred of years of failure and defeat, why do you try? Do you not understand that what you are doing is killing the land and harming its people? You are destroying a kingdom for what? Why, WHY are you doing this to me?"

Ganondorf's face screwed itself into a grimace at her outburst. "Why would any king try to take another land? You answer me, girl. Use that legendary wisdom of yours to figure out why this kingdom should belong to me and why I will never stop trying."

Zelda shook her head. Her legendary wisdom had run dry as of late. "To gain power and wealth, I suppose, but why Hyrule?" Zelda asked, her voice close to tears. "You have died for this land and here you are, back from the grave and spending your second chance at life making the same mistakes?"

Ganondorf's face changed from arrogant to irate in a second. He pulled his sharp features into a hard glare. Zelda could see that her words had struck a nerve. "There is much that you don't know," he growled in response. "I wouldn't expect a pampered, well-bred little lamb like yourself to understand anything. Your whole life, you have had every single thing handed to you on a silver platter. What hardships have you faced? What has happened to you that has truly broken your heart and left you in so much pain that it was hard for you to breathe? Tell me the earth-shattering problems that your spoiled life of a Princess has caused for you. Please, astound me with tales of your piteous life."

Zelda fell silent. Her struggling against the Gerudo's grasp stopped. How could he say such a thing, Zelda asked herself. His words wounded her in ways that he could not imagine. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She willed herself to not look into her past, to not let those memories surface…

Ganondorf took her silence as an answer. "Oh, you can't," he taunted. "Then you will not understand why I need to take Hyrule for myself. You do not even deserve to know what sort of filth that life has thrown my way."

The indignation drained from Zelda at Ganondorf's words. A flood of memories, painful and crushing, rushed to her consciousness. In a single moment, Ganondorf had demolished all the mental walls that she had spent years building in hopes of blocking out certain moments of her past. She stopped trying to fight her way free and let her arms fall to her sides. Ganondorf's hands still held on to her wrists, but his grip was softer.

"There is much you don't know either…" Zelda replied, her voice barely more than a gentle whisper. She did not know what made her admit weakness to her sworn enemy, but she found that she wanted to defend herself against his accusations. Her life might have been a glittering, shining, perfect dream to an outsider's eyes. She had the Royal Title, power, wealth, and beauty. Yet only Zelda knew the price of her life and the pain, loss, and secrets that she bore…

"Do not lie to me," Ganondorf retorted, though the tone of his voice did not match the harshness of his words. He spoke with a hint of anger, but his words sounded defeated and sad. Even he seemed to be drained of emotion, almost as though he, too, were just tired of fighting with the demons of the past. Zelda did not respond. She hung her head, overwhelmed with pain and memories.

They stood there in silence. They were both weighing the private burdens that each of them carried. It took Zelda far too long to realize that Ganondorf was no longer strangling her wrists with his fingers. She looked down and saw this his hands were holding her own. Her heart began to pound. She slowly looked up from their hands and met his gaze. Golden eyes met blue. His tan skin glowed under the light of the dying sun. The wind gently tugged at his red mane of hair. His face was an unreadable mask, but his eyes were soft and Zelda saw something in them that she did not want to understand.

Compassion.

With a gasp, she pulled herself out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest. Zelda's abrupt movement seemed to shake Ganondorf out of some sort of stupor. His face twisted into a troubled frown and he took several steps away from her. Zelda stared at him, her mind a torrent of confusing thoughts and growing fear. Ganondorf, the enemy of her ancestors and the bane of Hyrule, had been looking at her with compassion? He had held her hands with what she could only describe as tenderness and she had willingly shared a tiny piece of herself with him? Ganondorf stared at Zelda, waiting for her to speak. Zelda's mouth was closed tight with shock. Ganondorf stepped close to her again and reached out his hand. Zelda jumped away from him like a frightened rabbit.

His hand fell to his side and his frown deepened.

"Just let me go," Zelda said. Her voice was shaking with a thousand emotions.

"Go then," he murmured. "Go through the edge of Twilight. My asinine servant will be there waiting for you."

Zelda did not need to be told twice. She turned her back to him and started marching away from Ganondorf as fast as she could. It took every ounce of her self-control to not run away from him.

"You'll be back again," he suddenly called. Zelda stopped to listen, but she did not face him again. "The twilight is killing you and the only way that you'll survive is to come here. The sunlight will revive you. You will find life somewhat more bearable in the Twilight as long as you can come back here."

She did not fancy coming back again. Her plans of running away had been dashed and shattered to pieces. Fuming, she marched out of the field and came to the spot on the dirt road where she had thrown away her cloak and armor. She hastily replaced everything and threw her cloak around her shoulders. The Twilight has there, waiting to swallow her back up into the dark world of dusk. Before she stepped into the blackness, Zelda glanced over her shoulder. She could not help herself.

Ganondorf had his back to the Twilight, his gazed fixed upon the crimson sky. For a moment, Zelda's confusion and terror dissipated and she found herself pitying the dark figure. There was a sadness, a strange frailty to his words and she wondered what had happened to him to break his heart, shatter his world, and turn his heart black.

* * *

Thank you for reading! This has actually been in the works for many years now. The idea for this story came from an inside joke between me and my friends, regarding Ganondorf being creepy, Zelda not appreciating it, and "Fields of Gold," by Sting. The inspiration was silly, but I'm a secret Zelgan Shipper, so you know, I had to write something serious about it! I intend for this to be a short story, not something that is long and drawn out. It won't be a super long story, but I hope to give something that is great quality and enjoyable to read. Let me know if I'm doing just that, or if things need to be tweaked and re-worked. I'm open to any helpful comments.

R & R and happy happy happy reading :)

FOOTNOTE****WOW! I cannot believe that it's been almost a year since I posted anything on this site. Let me tell you, life has definitely been changing and growing. For those of you who don't know me personally (which is basically anyone looking at this page) I kind of had this thing called a pregnancy, which inevitably eded up in what they like to call an "infant," AKA little tiny demanding humans that suck up all your time, energy, and soul, but they're so adorable that you'd do anything for them, even if it means staying up all night, getting spat up and pooped on. Yes, Ginger Sheikah is now Mommy Sheikah! For those of you following this story, or any others that I'm working on, it might be slow going for a while. Baby Sheikah is 5 months old and rather time consuming *see above for more information* Writing is still my passion and my goals, but bear with me! You won't be seeing the last of the Great Ginger Mommy Sheikah!


	2. Safehaven

**Chapter two is up! I had already written this about a year ago, and it needed some serious re-editing. I'm pretty happy with the finale product. R &R and happy reading!**

* * *

 **Sleep came easily that night.** Zelda, plunged back into the cold, dank Twilight, found that her life was somewhere more bearable. The sunlight and warmth, now seeming like a distant memory, had indeed renewed her strength, mentally and physically. So she rested, truly rested, for the first time since her imprisonment.

Zelda awoke to the soft sound of rain falling gently on her balcony. Normally, Zelda loved stormy days. She loved seeing monstrous, gray rainclouds in the sky. They were a promise of a wickedly strong storm ahead. Yet as she crawled out of her tangled blankets to don her cloak, she felt that this rain was an unnatural as the Twilight. The raindrops seemed to fall from the sky more slowly than normal, and each drop falling on the stone floor of the balcony echoed eerily. The chill of Twilight deepened with the coming of the rain. Zelda pulled her cloak more closely to her body and wished that she were in the field instead of her tower room.

She closed her eyes and pretended that she was standing in the middle of the field, the stalks of barley swaying with each breath of wind. The sky above her would be filled from end to end with dark gray clouds. Glorious thunder would roar in the distance and the wind would whip into a frenzy. Zelda imagined tipping her face to the sky, letting the gentle rain fall onto her skin. How she longed to be in that field right now.

As she thought, something sparked her memory.

That field…Ganondorf…their hands…

A new sense of dread slowly seeped through her body like black ink spilled on pristine parchment. She stood as still as a statue, staring unblinking into the shadowy downpour. Her body felt numb, though her thoughts were a violent storm. Zelda's heart thudded wildly within her unmoving body. She willed her mind away from what happened in the field. Try as she might, she could not clean her mind of him. The memory of his touch burned her skin. She rubbed her hands together, as if trying to wipe away his essence. His eyes would not leave her. Her thoughts were haunted by the compassion that his golden irises betrayed. How could he be so familiar, so acquainted with her? They were enemies! He was not supposed to hold her hands and gaze into her soul with concern. How dare he? Yet as much as she wanted to, she could not force herself into real indignation. She was utterly lonely and even that small moment of familiarity with the enemy was almost a comfort. That realization alone deeply terrified her.

She recalled Ganondorf's face. He had the typical features of a Gerudo, red hair and yellow eyes to match. Zelda found that the face of her enemy was not the very picture of evil as she once thought. Maybe in a different world, she could have thought him handsome; very handsome…with the dusky light of the sunset glowing on his tanned skin and his strong jaw line. Perhaps if he ridded himself of his armor and stripped down to only a loose fitting peasant shirt and breeches, took out his crown and let his hair flow free, then what would he look like? He would be undeniably handsome, no doubt. What would it be like to run her fingers through those fiery locks? She wondered idly if the hair on his head matched the hair on his chest. She imagined letting her fingers trail down his neck, over his collarbone to the imaginary, fine red hair that grew over his broad chest.

As soon as that thought crossed the threshold of her mind, her heart stopped. Her mind snatched those images of Ganondorf's chest and shoved them deep into the depths of her consciousness. Was that really where her mind wanted to go? With Ganondorf?

Zelda dropped her head into her hand. "What is wrong with me," she whispered to the rain. Her response was the chilly drops falling rhythmically from the sky. Maybe she was just lonely; lonely and trapped in a world that she did not belong. She was just going a little mad, that was all. Zelda sighed heavily and walked over to the windows and began her daily vigil of the outside world shrouded in Twilight. She needed to purge her mind of the Gerudo.

A soft noise interrupted her daydreams. She could hear the faint sound of footfalls outside of her door. Tension tightened in her chest. This was not the usual sound of the guards or Zant. Something else had come to visit her. She heard the distinct sound of a chain being rattled.

To her surprise, Zelda heard a deep, throaty growling. The Twilight beasts made no noise except for their shrill cries. Perhaps Zant was in the throes of madness and came to her room to growl at her like a beast. Lightning suddenly illuminated the sky. Tension thickened the air. Zelda felt a familiar, underlying power enter the room. No, Zant was not with her. Somebody who bore one of the Triforces was in her presence. For a panicked second, her mind flew back to Ganondorf. He held the Triforce of Power. She had felt it in him when she saw him that day in the throne room. Zelda turned around in haste, suddenly terrified that she might find the Gerudo towering over her in the small, dark room.

Yet it was not he. She was faced with a shaggy gray wolf. He was soaking wet, dripping cold rainwater onto the floor. Strange markings covered his muzzle. A silver shackle was bound tightly around his paw. Of course it wasn't Ganondorf. He wouldn't be growling at her…

A petite figure was perched on the wolf's back. It was incredible how such a tiny little body could support the weight of the stone headdress perched on its head. Scarlet eyes narrowed mischievously at her. An impish smirk tugged at her mouth. Turquoise blue lines grew over the smooth black and white skin like vines on a wall. A mocking girlish giggle cut the air.

Midna had returned.

 **She paced down** the hallway of her castle, flanked by two Twilight beasts. A rush of excitement flooded through her. The goddesses had not abandoned her! The blessed guardians of Hyrule had heard her prayers through the Twilight and sent the kingdom a Hero. The Twilight had cursed his form into that of a wolf, but Zelda knew that he was the one. On his left paw, shining through the wet fur, were three golden triangles; the Triforce of Courage. There was no denying that the wolf, a boy in his true form, was the reincarnation of the Hero of Old. That visit alone had invigorated her hope far more than the trip to the sunlight.

Zelda desperately wanted to speak more with Midna, but she had heard the guards coming up the spiral stairs and told her guests to flee the tower. They had come to take her to the field, she supposed. Zant had not accompanied his minions to retrieve her and for that she was grateful. As the beasts marched Zelda through the wide doors of the castle and into the courtyard, Zelda saw with disappointment that the rain had already receded. The air was damp and the path to the field was muddy. Zelda plodded through the soft earth with her dainty slippers and tired to hold the hem of her gown out of the way of the dirt. The beasts nonetheless splashed mud on her formal gown. Growing increasingly annoyed with the mindless creatures, Zelda was relieved to see the wall of Twilight at the end of the path. Without hesitation, she stepped through the blackness. The world beyond was dripping from the recent rain. The sky boasted of cool, slate gray clouds. The heads of the barley were weighted down from raindrops. The air was scented with the wonderful smell of a freshly fallen rain. Zelda breathed in deeply, savoring every bit of the solace she found in the field.

As the last dredges of thunder rumbled in the distance, Zelda thought of the Hero of old who bore the Triforce of Courage, on a quest to liberate Hyrule from the Twilight curse. With him was the incurably brazen Twilight imp, Midna. Zelda was certain that the girl was hiding a world of secrets behind her sharp tongue and tough demeanor. They were her only hope now. She prayed for them a safe journey.

Zelda wandered through the field, her thoughts far away and, for once, peaceful. The walls of Twilight made a black stain on the distant horizon, but Zelda was able to pretend that they were not even there. After a while, Zelda found an old, weathered log. She sat down on it and rested her chin in her hands. The hem of her dress was hopelessly muddy and ruined from where she ripped it the day before when she was running away from Ganondorf. She contemplated asking Zant if he would allow her to fetch one of her simpler gowns for her to wear to the field instead of her soiled Royal attire.

A shadow fell over her and Zelda's muscles tightened as she felt a presence at her back. She did not have to turn around to know who was with her. Her muscles tensed and she willed herself not to turn around and give him the pleasure of her acknowledging him.

A cool, misty breeze blew softly over the rain soaked field as they waited in silence. "Was I not right when I said that you would return?" He asked with a shade of triumph in his voice. Zelda found herself speechless. She suddenly felt transparent, vulnerable. What if he knew that she saw Midna and the newfound Hero? Zelda forced herself to keep her face straight and her aura calm and unshakable. She had to be. Ganondorf could not know about her Hero.

"Did I really have a choice," she retorted dryly.

The already palpable tension in the air thickened and Zelda could almost feel the searing glare directed at her from two golden eyes. "If you would rather waste away in the Twilight, then by all means, do so," he growled, barely holding back the frustration in his voice. "However, it would be far more beneficial to the both of us if you lived. I am sure that you don't really want to die, leaving your kingdom unprotected and in my hands."

"Isn't it already in your hands?" Zelda asked grimly. She heard him laugh darkly in response. "Not quite," he murmured. The grass crunched beneath heavy footfalls as Ganondorf strode around the stump. He stopped in front of her, towering over Zelda like a giant. Zelda looked up at him, making sure that her expression was unreadable and stoic.

"My plans are not yet complete The Twilight is only the beginning, Princess. Even so…there is still one more Province to submit to the Twilight, and we are finding it to be quite a challenge…" at this his face fell and Zelda wondered if this last threshold of Hyrule was where the Hero hailed from.

"Besides," he continued. "You cannot say that you don't love being here. I saw your face when you stepped out of the Twilight and came into the field."

Ganondorf knelt down, one knee on the muddy ground. He placed his hands on the log, one hand on either side of her. His face was uncomfortably close to hers, but she did not back away. "Your face was pure and undeniable delight. You cannot hide that you enjoy the generosity I show you by bringing you to my haven from the Twilight."

"Your haven?" She whispered angrily.

"We are creatures of light, Princess. We need the sun to survive. That Twilight is poison to us. When the Twilight came, I created this field as a place of refuge for myself, and ultimately for you as well. You need this field to live…you depend on my generosity to survive." A wicked smirk was plastered on his face. Something about the way he smiled so triumphantly at her made her sick. With her heart pounding and skin flushing, Zelda glared at him, her blue eyes merely inches away from his. She could fell the warmth of his breath on her skin. She wanted to strike him. The Gerudo took some strange, twisted pleasure in her being in this field, and she cursed him for forcing this to be her one solace, the only way she would survive the Twilight.

"You heard me saying all this to Zant when you were lying half dead on the floor of my throne room—"

"-My throne room, you mean, —" she hissed.

"Not anymore, Princess," he cut in. "Careful with that tongue of yours or I just might change my mind and have to leave you to rot in the Twilight."

"And you want to share your little haven with me? The enemy? You want your enemy to depend solely on you? You sicken me."

He was silent for a moment. Zelda saw unspoken thoughts working behind those golden eyes. "I need you alive," was all that he said.

That was not good enough for her. "Why? What use am I to you alive?" Zelda scoffed. "What do you need me for?"

His expression changed. It was too gentle, too…calm. "What was it?" He asked in a voice that matched the softness of his face.

Zelda was taken aback at this abrupt change in conversation. "I beg your pardon," she snapped, confused as to why he ignored her. "What are you talking about?"

He leaned ever so closer to her. His eyes softened. "When we last spoke, I challenged you, saying that there was no sorrow in your life. You argued with me and implied that there _was_ something. I am asking you now, what was it?"

Zelda nervously ran her hands over her lower arms. Beneath the thin material of her gloves, Zelda could feel them…the raised scars that had been carved into her skin years before… The pain…the terror…the tragedy of how she earned them still stung at her heart. Anger flushed and she could feel her cheeks turn red. This was her story, her burden to bear. How could he demand this of her?

"What makes you think…" she began in a slow, stern voice. Zelda took a breath, trying to calm herself. Memories rushed back at her, the pain of them causing her throat to tighten. She tried again to speak. "What makes you think that you have the right to know? You are my enemy!"

Zelda's heart beast faster with every word she spoke Her righteous anger flared. "You imprison me and take my kingdom, but demand that I tell you about anything of my life?" Her voice was raised, growing higher in pitch with every word. "Why don't you tell me about your sorrows, Ganondorf?"

She could see his defenses rise. "Tell you of my sorrows?" Ganondorf scoffed. "I am the king and you are the captive. What worth do you have that I would tell you of myself?"

Zelda's eyes narrowed in response. "What worth do I have? Let me ask you this. What worth do you have? You take what isn't yours and insult me by saying that I don't deserve to know why because you claim that I have had a privileged life. Then why is it so important that I prove to you my abuses in life before you tell me of yours?" Zelda, full of resentment, rose to her feet. "Let me have what is left of my dignity. Spare me this question again. It is offensive to me."

Zelda stormed away. This field was huge. Surely she could go somewhere where that Gerudo wouldn't find her.

The grass rustled and a hand gently wrapped around her wrist.

"Wait," he murmured deeply. The tone of his voice was the only thing that paused Zelda's angry strides. The lack of hostility and spite was strange. His voice was calm and even. Zelda waited for him to say more. There was a thickness in the air. Zelda found it hard to put a name to, the unspoken tension between them. Hesitantly, she turned around. Ganondorf was staring intently at her. His golden eyes were intense and fiery, but she saw hints of remorse in his gaze. She drew in the tiniest of breaths. Surprise numbed her and it was difficult for her to form words. Everything about this seemed so wrong, so backwards. It was just not possible that it was real. Her mind refused to comprehend that this evil Gerudo man could feel remorse for his ancient adversary.

Yet there he was, standing with her and holding her wrist, patiently awaiting a response. She could not say a word. His face fell into a somber frown, as if disappointed at her lack of communication. He gently tugged on her wrist.

"Will you sit?" He asked, gesturing back to the knotted stump. Zelda met his eyes. It was still there. The remorse he showed suddenly angered her. She hardened her expression.

"I would rather leave," Zelda replied with a tight, biting voice. She was afraid to be vulnerable to him. What kind of tricks was he trying to play with her by being contradictory to what she believed him to be? She couldn't let him think that he was fooling her.

"I would rather you stay," he growled back. His voice was less kind this time. She could hear that he was becoming irritated. Zelda only glared at him, giving him stony silence as her only response. Ganondorf sighed heavily and placed his hands on her shoulders. Zelda tensed underneath his touch.

"Stay," he whispered gruffly. "Stay and I will tell you everything. You are not so undeserving as I want to believe…" He was holding her, but it was not forceful or rough. She could have pulled away if she wanted to, yet she listened to him. She stayed. His words were imploring and they made her curious. Zelda was still suspicious of his intentions, but she wanted to know of his past. It might give her some advantage.

And she was also very curious.

She pulled herself from his grip. Zelda crossed her arms defensively and made her way back. Ganondorf followed her silently, making heavy footfalls on the soft ground. Begrudgingly, she lowered herself onto the knotted log and folded her hands in her lap.

"Why am I suddenly so deserving," she asked curtly. Ganondorf lowered himself, kneeling in the mud before her. To Zelda, it seemed almost a humble gesture.

"Because in this field, you are not my enemy," he answered. Like most everything else he had done thus far, this took Zelda by surprise. "Here, you are my equal. We come here for the same reason and if we are to survive this Twilight together, then I wish this place to be one of peace for us. I've shown you great contempt by taking your kingdom and making you a prisoner in your own home. I've been no kinder here." He smiled suddenly, a true smile, and Zelda found the change unsettling. "You would think that growing up in a culture made up entirely of women would teach me some respect for them, but I am still learning those lessons it seems. When we are away from the Twilight, I want to show you the respect that you deserve, war or no war."

It took Zelda far too long to realize that she had been staring at Ganondorf with her mouth gaping open for this entire exchange. Ganondorf wanted to respect her? What did that mean coming from him?

"Where do we stand when we are in the Twilight?" She asked, shaking her head from confusion. "How can we be anything but enemies, no matter where we are?"

Ganondorf frowned slightly. "Adversaries," he gruffly responded. "That is all we are outside of this field. Here, everything is different."

Zelda was still confused, and it angered her. In her mind, she saw him as her enemy no matter where she was! They could be at the bottom of the ocean or the highest heaven and he would still be her enemy.

"I say this only for you to understand why I decided to share my story with you."

It did not help her to understand. There was so little that Zelda understood about him. It only left her more confused than before. She briefly went back to that forbidden thought she had of him earlier in the day: him standing before her, handsome and bare-chested. Her confusion ran ever deeper as her heart skipped a beat, imagining him like that again. She took a deep, calming breath.

"Then share your story with me," she said in the calmest voice she could muster at the moment.

"I wasn't born into luxury as you were, Princess. I came into a world of heat and sand. Even at a young, tender age, I knew that I did not live in a place that was forgiving or kind. Neither were those that raised me. Those that I were to someday rule, the race of strong, warrior women, did not want a weak King and they saw to it that my life was learned in harsh, painful lessons. So just as my father before me, and his father before him, and so on since the beginning of the Gerudo tribe, I was schooled by brutality and strength. I was taught to fight as soon as I could walk. Weapons were placed into my hands instead of toys. I became a stonehearted warrior when most boys would still be clinging to their mother's apron strings. My mentors pushed me, beat me, bruised me, and broke me. Yet as much as I hated them for their vicious lessons, I never saw them as my enemy. I saw them as my people. For all their cruelty, they were Gerudo. My Gerudo people. They could not beat the love for them I had out of me. My love for my people was strong. No, my teachers were not my enemy and they were not my greatest teacher.

The desert was. The place that I called home was the thing that I hated most in the world. It was the source of all our misery. The unrelenting sun beating down on us with no relief, or the sandstorms that would appear out of nowhere and leave us stranded in our homes, starving and thirsty for days on end. The land yielded no food. Water was scarce. We scavenged for what resources there were to be found. The people of Hyrule condemned us for being thieves, but what choice did we have? How else were we to survive if we did not take from what others had, and what they were so unwilling to share?

I had heard stories of the green, prosperous land that lay just beyond our borders. It was not that the Gerudo were banned from Hyrule. We were not welcomed with open arms, given our reputation for thievery and stealing away Hylian men to help repopulate the race. I came to resent the Hylians as much as I did the desert. Those pampered, well-fed people lived without bothering to lift a finger to help those who were in need. Not to mention the monarchy…the King of that time hated my people and would rather see us suffer, starve to death and finally the world would be free of the thieving, dirty barbarians he believed us to be.

I longed to visit Hyrule and see for myself what a place without sand was like. My chance came when I was still a young boy and my mind soft and easily molded. It was while on this sojourn to Hyrule that I learned of a well-guarded secret that the Royal family had kept for centuries. They had a powerful, mystical relic on their possession, one that they called the Triforce."

Ganondorf looked down at his left hand. A soft golden glow shone through his thick gloves.

Power. Ganondorf was the bearer of Power. Zelda looked down and ran her fingers over the top of her own hand. Wisdom had chosen her. Courage had found a host in the Hero of Old. The Hero of Time, they had called him.

"Did you choose Power?" Zelda asked, daring herself to speak.

"No. Power chose me. Years later, when I was a grown man and at the height of my reign, I went back to Hyrule to claim the relic for my own. Little did I know that the other pieces of the Triforce would reject me, find me unworthy. Power was the only one that would rest with me. That did not happen until much, much later.

After that first journey to Hyrule, I returned to my desert home and I made two vows.

One; I would possess the Triforce. Such a powerful relic could help my people. The Hylian monarchy did not deserve to keep that power to themselves. I spent years learning all that I could about the Triforce. I learned where it was hidden, the legends surrounding it, and how to use it properly. The Triforce would be mine, and I would become the most fearsome, most powerful being that ever was.

My second vow was this; Hyrule would be mine. I lusted for the green land, with the rivers and lakes and forests and fields. The desert was death, while Hyrule was life. I would not stop there either. My people had suffered for centuries on centuries. Their dues were paid. It was time for us to make a new home for ourselves, and why should we be limited to just one kingdom? Why not many kingdoms? Why not rule every land we could find? If we were known for being thieves, why not act upon eons of accusations and make our enemies rue they day they had named us as such? I vowed to steal their land, their riches, and their power. I would make my name known across the land.

This I vowed to my people.

Initially, I did want a better life for my people, but as time wore on, I became consumed with the thought of domination and power. When the time came, I came face to face with the King of Hyrule. It did not take long after that before he was dead at my hands. His daughter and her slippery, devious attendant ran away. The Princess, the other Zelda, was just a child but she escaped my grasp. With her, so did the Ocarina of Time. She gave it to that blonde boy with the fairy."

Ganondorf laughed bitterly. "How could I have known then that those two children would ultimately be my downfall? If I had know who that boy was going to be, his life would have ended right then and there."

Zelda frowned at the thought of somebody callously killing a child, but what did she expect from her enemy? He killed more than his share of innocents.

The Gerudo shook his head and continued his story. "I used that boy to find the Sacred Realm and ultimately, the Triforce. Yet, as soon as I touched the golden surface of that ancient relic, my plans crumbled to ash. The Triforce split into three. Power found me worthy host, but Courage and Wisdom sought their rightful bearers. They chose the children…the children who were now out of my reach. Princess Zelda was nowhere to be found and the boy was sealed away, unreachable. For seven years, I searched for her, for the Princess. In those seven years, I utterly lost sight of why I had taken Hyrule in the first place. My people were no better off than they were before. Evil overcame my soul and Hyrule turned from the green land that I lusted for into a foul wasteland crawling with monsters.

I did not care. I did not see past my own desire for domination. My people became less than nothing to me. Power became everything. My new obsession was to find the remaining pieces of Triforce and take them for myself. That thought and that thought alone drove me to become the infamous, murderous King that I am known for.

At the peak of my power, that child who entered the Temple of Time emerged as a man, wielding the Master Sword. Eventually, the girl who had escaped me aided him under the guise of a Sheikah. Those two children were now using their skills to fight against me."

His deep voice fell silent. Ganondorf turned his face to the setting sun. His mouth was grim, but his eyes were sad.

"Together, they brought me my demise. By the might of the six sages, I was sealed away. I spent an age living in a world of nothingness. Left with only my thoughts, I spent that lonely time thinking about the course that my actions had taken. After all that power, all that strength and glory I had gained, there was nothing left to show for my efforts. It had been an empty, vain pursuit. Yet, even in my isolation, I never felt remorse. I was only bitter, and rage grew from my bitterness.

The time came for my final judgment. Bound in fortified chains to a massive block of stone, the sages stood before me. After spending so long alone with my fury and defeat, I was nothing more than a wild animal, striking out and snarling like a beast. One sage stepped forward with a sword, glowing with light and magic. Without hesitation, the sage struck me through. It was excruciating pain. The sword came in one side and out of the other, pinning me to the stone. When the deed was done, the sages stood around, watching as I groaned in agony, seconds from death."

Without warning, Ganondorf reached for his armor and ripped away apiece that Zelda thought was just a breastplate. As he did, something white glowed on his chest. It looked like a wound, but instead of blood, there was only a brilliant white glow.

"This is what the sword left behind. It has never healed, but it causes me no pain. It might be a combination of their power still trying to kill me and my Power preventing that from happening." The immortal, glowing wound amazed Zelda. A part of her wanted to touch it, but the intimate thoughts she had earlier today prevented her from doing so. She shut her lips and looked at the wound with a blank expression.

Ganondorf continued his story when Zelda said nothing.

"As I awaited death, something surprising happened. When I was banished by the original sages, I thought my Triforce to be gone, ripped from my possession as my soul was ripped from my body. Yet, I was wrong. As I hung there dying, Power surged through me. It had never left. Faithful to its master, the Triforce burned in my skin like a new breath of life. Strength swelled, as did my triumphant anger. I broke my chains, ripped the sword from my chest, and struck the closest sage. His frail body turned to dust at my blow. I was beyond control, beyond subduing. My Triforce, dormant for almost a century, was gathering Power once more. It was a raging storm inside me.

Unfortunately for me, the sages found a way to get rid of me again. Not able to kill me, they opened the portal to the Twilight Realm and banished me to, once again, live a half-life. I was sucked into this new realm, protected by the still growing power of my Triforce.

Fortunately for me, I was able to retain some of my power and some of my form in that world. For some time, I explored the world, living as less than a phantom. I had a plan to get back to Hyrule, but I needed to find the right Twili to help me.

It did not take long for me to find Zant. For a few weeks, I watched him. He was mad, yet vulnerable. This one can be easily manipulated, I thought. Like me, he desperately wanted power. He was the perfect pawn. I thought that I would present myself to him as a god and convince him to follow me to the ends of his world. A time came where I saw him weeping and wailing on the balcony of a great fortress. That was my golden opportunity."

Once again, the Gerudo fell silent. He stood to his feet and stepped away from Zelda. He faced the sunset, becoming a black silhouette on the fiery horizon. His cape snapped in the wind.

"Then, I came back to Hyrule." He growled. There was danger in his voice. "I came back to Hyrule with an army at my side. When I had secured the throne and shrouded the world in darkness, I fled to the desert, desperate to see my people once more. When I came to my old home, I found it empty."

He turned back to Zelda. His face was set into a withering glare. Accusation burned in his eyes. "Every last woman and child of my people was gone. Do you know what I discovered, Princess?" Ganondorf stomped back over to Zelda. He knelt once more in the mud, but gone was the gentleness from before. Zelda backed away, growing fearful at the look in his eyes. Ganondorf placed his hands on either side of her and leaned in closely. Golden eyes pierced blue.

"It was your family that did it. When my people were left without a King, they became weak and defenseless. Banished back to the unforgiving desert from whence they came, life was no easier for them. The history books tell me that they suffered far more than they ever had. That is, until your forefather decided to put them out of their misery once and for all. Queen Zelda's sons came in the night and massacred every last one of them. There were no survivors."

It could not be denied. The Gerudo Massacre was a dark red stain on Hyrule's history. Acting out of prejudice and fear, the old Zelda's sons had ordered an attack on the remaining Gerudo tribe. Ganondorf was right. There had been no survivors.

"It was wrong of them. They should not have done such a heinous thing. It was unforgivable," Zelda pleaded. The actions of her great grandfathers were unspeakable.

"Yes," Ganondorf whispered viciously. "It was unforgivable." The Gerudo stood to his feet and towered over Zelda. She tensed her body, waiting for him to serve justice against her for the actions of her grandfathers.

"It was unforgivable what those Hylian men did to my people, but it was also unforgivable what I did to them." His expression softened and he looked down at her. Somehow, he did not look sad. He just looked tired.

Now, for the first time since I was a child, I feel remorse for my actions. I put the loss of the Gerudo on my shoulders. Had I not been so seduced by power, I might have served them better when I took Hyrule for myself. Maybe if my intentions for the Gerudo had been pure, the Triforce would have found me worthy of not only Power, but Courage and Wisdom as well. All that time I spent in exile, I never thought that while trying to give them a better life, I caused them to lose everything. I am guilty for breaking my vow to give them what I had always promised. At my own hands, they did not receive life at all. They were only given death."

Think of me what you will. The blood of my people is on my hands, just as much as it is on your forefathers'. My zeal died with my people. I am not the murderous, arrogant tyrant you have learned about. It is a cold, quiet anger that smolders in me now."

Doubt nagged at the back of her mind. Zelda was wise and she had a talent for reading people. She could always tell when someone was lying to her or putting up a false persona. She stretched her mind, trying to catch any hint of a lie or manipulation, but she could find none.

"Now more than ever, I deserve Hyrule."

Shaking her head, Zelda looked at him. After his story, she could hardly feel anger at him. She just felt numb. "Do you though?"

Ganondorf nodded somberly. "More than you do. What makes you think you are so worthy?"

She frowned at him. What sort of question was that? "I was born into this life. Of course I do," she responded as she stood to her feet. Ganondorf followed suit.

He gave a half-hearted laugh. "As I was born into mine, but we have the power to change our destinies don't we…"

This made Zelda pause. A part of her wanted to agree, but something in the way he said it did not seem fair. "Even if it means changing another's?"

"Even if it means changing the course of the entire world to change your destiny to what you want it to be, then yes. It was your family that brought an end to my people."

"Do not blame that on me! Their blood is on my grandfathers' hands, but it is not on mine. Look into my eyes and believe that I am not the kind of ruler who would wipe out an entire race of people!"

Ganondorf put a hand on her shoulder as a calming gesture. Despite her anger, Zelda felt herself calm beneath his heavy hand.

"I know you would not, Princess. You are not so blinded by hatred and prejudice. Yet, it hardly matters now who did it. In my eyes, retribution still needs to be paid."

"So that is what this about now? Your people are gone and I am to be punished for it. Is this now about revenge?" Zelda shrugged his hand off her shoulder. She was growing too comfortable with his touch.

"No, not completely. Part of it is revenge for the loss of my people but also…fulfilling a promise to give them a better life."

"There would be nothing left to rule but my people, and they would despise you with every fiber of their being. Who do you have left to keep that promise to?"

"No one…but it needs to be kept."

Zelda's heart fell and sadness welled up in her heart. It was not so empty, fulfilling a promise to somebody who will never know that it has been kept. She knew the feeling all too well.

Pity welled up in her heart. So it was true that even evil men had sorrows. Something must have shown in her face, for Ganondorf frowned at her suddenly.

"Don't pity me. I won't have your sympathy."

That was hardly fair. "You felt sorry for me. I saw it in your eyes that day in the throne room. You pitied me then. How is it any different now?"

He broke into a wicked smile. "I did not know that I was so transparent to you, Princess. I will have to be much more careful."

Zelda secretly thought that he had been transparent with much more than just pity, but it frightened her to even admit what else he might have shown to her. She doubted that he would attempt to be even remotely careful. In fact, he seemed to relish in the fact that she did notice.

"It's your turn now."

Zelda sat back down on the log and crossed her arms stubbornly. She hardly wanted to share anything with him. It was well and all for Ganondorf to be transparent, but she refused. She laughed, somewhat amused by her situation. "Here we are, two enemies sharing each other's secrets."

Taking his final bow in the mud, Ganondorf knelt in front of her. "In this field, we are not enemies." His voice rumbled gently.

The tension left Zelda and she unfolded her arms. She wasn't ready to share. It did not feel right, sitting here in her royal clothes and baring her soul to Ganondorf.

"Since we are not enemies here, let me ask you of one thing," she demanded gently. If Zelda were to survive this Twilight, then she had better accept that this field was a no man's land, a temporary peaceful ground between them, and to take every advantage of it that she could.

"What may that be?" Ganondorf tilted his head, eyes curious and a smile growing at the corners of his mouth. That expression caught her off guard and for half a second, she forgot what she wanted to ask for. Her mind wandered back to the thought of her running her fingers down his chest, letting her fingers linger over the glowing scar in his skin—

"Please, if I may," she blurted out, secretly chiding herself for that thought. "These clothes that I am wearing are uncomfortable and soiled. Will you grant me access to my own castle so that I may get more appropriate attire for this current situation that I am in?" She asked this as formally as she could. The familiarity between them was becoming too much.

Ganondorf looked, for a second, disappointed. He bowed his head in a silent yes, giving her permission to have freedom in her own home.

"Thank you," she said abruptly and stood to her feet. Ganondorf stood up as she did. "I would like to be going back now."

Ganondorf said nothing, but once again nodded at her. She felt bothered by his sudden silence. Somehow, for whatever reason, Zelda felt very guilty and thought she might have done something wrong. Yet she would not ask if she had done something. She was afraid of the answer. However, she did brave one question.

"Ganondorf," she began, her voice tremulous and soft. His eyes ever so slightly lightened at the sound her speaking his name. That alone made Zelda nearly stop her question, but the words kept coming.

"If there was no Twilight…if your people were still alive…if there had never been any war between our Kingdoms, then where would we stand outside of this field?"

His face was cast in a golden glow as the sun set lower with each passing second. A sad smile formed on his sharp, exotic features. Zelda felt her heart beat nervously as she awaited his answer. After all that had happened with them in the past few days, for every confusing moment and damning thought, she had to know this one thing, even if everything it might mean petrified her.

"If there was none of this strife…" he began, his voice low and unreadable. "Then there would be no need for this field for us to not be enemies…"

* * *

Chapter two is done! Thank you for reading and don't forget to R&R!


	3. Demons of the Past

" **There would be no need for this field for us not to be enemies…"** Ganondorf's words echoed faintly in her thoughts as Zelda stalked the quiet, still hallways of her castle. As promised, her captor had given her the small freedom to retrieve fresh clothes from her old room. Spirits of her former subjects sadly floated by her and Zelda listened to their panicked whispers.

"I will make this right," Zelda whispered back, knowing full well that they could not hear her words. "You will be set free." Her mind wandered back to her interaction with Ganondorf in the field and a pang of guilt shot through her.

" _In this field, you are not my enemy…"_ He had insisted. _"You are not my enemy…"_ Zelda took a deep, steadying breath and tried to free her mind of his words. With the spirits of her subjects, her people that were under her protection, floating helplessly by her, that declaration of his was sickening. How on earth could she ever consider him being anything but an enemy?

Yet her feet still traveled the familiar path to her wing of the castle. She was still making good on his promise to her. Did she have a choice, really? Her fate was tied to the field, and her captor knew that her very life depended on visiting this haven he made.

Zelda huffed angrily and made her way down a familiar corridor. The door to her room lay at the very end. How dare he force her to depend on him? What was in it for him, she wondered not for the first time since she left him in the field. Why was he so triumphant, so…pleased that he had her life in his hands?

A memory of their first meeting in the field came swimming to the surface. His hands softly holding her own, the two of them immersed in their personal sorrows. Then, just hours ago, the ancient foe of her ancestors saying that, in a different life, they would not have been enemies at all…

Zelda could only wonder at the meaning of his intentions and her heart twisted at the implications. She paused at the end of the hall and took another deep breath. It was her imagination getting the best of her. This cursed Twilight was once again poisoning her thoughts. It could not be what she was thinking. Ganondorf had seemed remorseful in their talk together, but his true nature was wicked and dark. He was incapable of whatever she was imagining, Zelda rationalized as she absent-mindedly opened the door to her room. He was merely playing a cruel and twisted game with her.

Zelda opened up her wardrobe and began to sift through layers of silk and chiffon. Each dress that emerged from the wardrobe was regarded for a second and then thrown onto the bed. It did not take long before the room was covered in the jewel colored hues of rejected gowns. In the middle of it all was Zelda, sitting on the plush mattress with her legs pulled to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Beside her was a pale green gown decorated with ivory lace and long, flowing sleeves. It was one of the lesser extravagant garments she could find, but it still did not seem good enough for what she needed. She did not know exactly what she was looking for, but whatever it was, she was not finding it here. Zelda looked to the green gown, lovely and delicate, and tried to imagine herself wearing it in the field to meet Ganondorf.

She cringed at the thought of how ridiculous she would look. A sense of embarrassment and discomfort swept through her, so overwhelming that she had to push the gown away. If she was already uncomfortable and vulnerable in her Royal gown, Zelda could not imagine how much worse she would feel in something fancy and formal. She needed something that was simple and anonymous. In the field, she did not want to look the part of the Princess. As a Princess, she was Ganondorf's enemy. In the field, she was his unwitting ally, apparently, and she could not play the part if she did not look the part. If only she could find something that made her anonymous, just another girl and not the Princess of—

As quickly as that thought passed, an idea came to her. Inspired, Zelda flew from the room, dresses scattered, not caring to look back at the reminders of her life as Princess.

 **The servants' quarters were nearly** halfway across the castle. Zelda hoped that she wouldn't get reprimanded by Zant or any of his minions for going outside of her agreement with Ganondorf. Yet, she had a sneaking suspicion that even if there were watchful eyes from the shadows, she would still be under his ultimate protection. This, she at least hoped…

She had been to the servants' living quarters once before when she was a young girl, but her mother and father had forbidden her to go again. It was not right for the Princess to mingle with them in such an informal way, they declared. Well meaning as Zelda was sure they were, it seemed snobbish to her and she promised herself that she would regularly visit the servants just to show that she was humble and kind. Zelda was hit with all-too familiar guilt. As she grew older, that promise had often been shoved aside until it was completely forgotten. Now, she returned under tragic circumstances.

The quarters were made up of dozens of rooms, housing three to four servants each. For hours, she sifted through countless dresses and skirts and blouses. She even considered the pants of the male servants. Tall and willowy as she was, it was proving difficult to find anything that fit her. The servants themselves wore neutral colored garments and Zelda would have been fine with that, but she could not find anything to fit her body. As she dug deeper into an old, worn wooden chest, Zelda caught a flash of deep, dark blue amidst the gray and brown. The serving uniform of this particular owner was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it had been worn by the servant girl as she was turned into a spirit by the Twilight. Zelda's heart sank and the immense burden of her current situation weighed even more heavily on her.

" _You're going to be wearing this victim's clothes to meet him…"_ the nagging voice in her head harshly reminded her. She yanked out the blue fabric and slammed the chest shut, shoving that voice back into the deep recesses of her mind. It would do no good to dwell on it now. She had made her choice.

Her choice was that she had none.

Zelda pulled the dress up to her torso. A thin, braided leather belt fell to the floor as the fabric unfurled. It was a simple dress made out of a homespun fabric. There were no embellishments or lace. The sleeves were too short and the hemline showed a little more ankle than Zelda would have liked, but the simplicity was exactly what she was needing. Feeling strangely exposed as she undressed in the Twilight, Zelda pulled off her royal gown and slipped into the dark blue dress. The cloth felt strange on her body; the roughness of the fabric scratched against skin that had only known silk, but the dress itself hung nicely on Zelda's slim waist. She tied the braided belt loosely around her hips, just like she had seen many of her subjects do. It seemed to be a fashionable thing around Castle Town. Zelda laughed a little at her own expense. For someone who spent their entire life being taught to set themselves apart from the commoners, she was trying her best to be just like them. Zelda took in a deep breath, for the first time in years free from the constricting corset and hoopskirt. She even dared herself to give a little twirl, loving the way the skirt swished around her legs. If she had done that in her opulent gowns, the skirt would have stayed obediently still.

She wondered who had worn the dress before her. It was not one of the required dresses that her staff were assigned to wear. This had been something personal, something hand-made for life outside the castle. Zelda smoothed down the front of the dress and sighed. This dress had symbolized freedom from the drudgery of servant life for another young woman. What did this mean to her? Freedom from her perfectly structured, controlled, and constrictive life as a Princess?

Suddenly, Zelda felt silly. Why had she come here again? What did she need this simple dress for? She had plenty of other wonderful gowns of her own! Those gowns were her identity! Why rob her servant of something that was freedom to her? Zelda came close to ripping off the garment and going back to her royal clothes.

If Ganondorf was going to force his company on her, then she needed to remind him of exactly who she was; Princess Zelda of Hyrule, the monarch of the kingdom he was oppressing and her forever enemy.

She closed her eyes and once again imagined herself in the field with him, beautiful, pale green silk skirt billowing in the wind and lace cuffs fluttering around her wrists. This Zelda was stunning and proud. She was not ashamed to show who she truly was.

And Ganondorf watched this Zelda, this proud Princess with his golden stare, a spark in his eyes that she feared to name…

That sick feeling came back and Zelda backed away from that thought. Zelda opened her eyes and looked down. The blue dress was still there. Her breath came in a ragged gasp and she let it out in a shaky sigh. Trying to distract herself, Zelda opened up the chest once more. She rummaged through for a few more minutes until she found a gray, woolen shawl and soft leather boots. The boots were snug, but Zelda hardly cared about that now. Her mind was still struggling to fight against the thought of _him_ gazing at her in that blasted green silk dress.

Feeling numb, Zelda wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and moved to a nearby mirror. Her knees would not stop trembling. She ran her fingers through her hair, chiding herself for being so weak. It was only a thought, why did it shake her so badly?

She stopped in front of the mirror and took in the sight before her. It was strange to see herself looking so…common. Her skin was paler and her eyes were heavy with sadness, but she rather liked the look of herself being less fussy and royal. Yet there was still one thing left to be changed. Zelda pulled the crown from her hair. Sheets of honey colored locks tumbled down her shoulders, and for once, Zelda forgot that she was Royalty. The girl staring back at her in the mirror was just that…a girl. It seemed almost a disguise from her real self and this disguise was perfect. It felt better to meet him in the field as this anonymous girl. Princess Zelda and Ganondorf were enemies. Plain and simple. No amount of convincing could truly change her mind on that fact. Yet, Zelda the girl in the blue dress and Ganondorf…

Well, in the field _their_ roles could be compromised.

 **The tower room was silent**. The Twilight outside was never ending, yet always changing. The gloomy sky shifted through dull tones of orange and purple. There Zelda sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chin, letting the quiet and the lonely stillness surround her. Twilight beasts had already stalked their way up the tower steps, coming to retrieve her to take her to the field.

Zelda refused them. They backed away and left her to sit alone in the Tower. They did not put up a fight. Zelda half-heartedly wondered if they even cared that she disobeyed orders or if they even realized what was going on around them. They seemed to be creatures made by Zant himself, using his borrowed power to create minions that mindlessly did his bidding. A chill ran through her and Zelda pulled the shawl closely to her. She imagined them reporting back to Zant, and then Zant reporting back to Ganondorf that she refused to go with them to the field. The door to her room was cracked open. They had not even bothered to close her in. All the Twilight was her prison, and she knew it. Even the beasts knew it.

As she stared blankly at the door, Zelda almost expected Ganondorf himself to come bursting through and throw her over his shoulder to take her to the field himself. She almost wished that would happen. If he wanted her there in his precious haven so badly, he could come get her. She frowned at the door and felt her stomach tighten. No, she did not want him to come to her. She could stand seeing him under the sun and blue sky of the field, but seeing him under the haze of Twilight…she could not bear it.

Falling back on her bed, Zelda pondered how long she could stand being under the Twilight before she had to go back. Ganondorf always seemed to know when she was there, so she knew that another meeting with him was inevitable. She would prolong it for as long as she could, and when she was ready to return, it would be on her own time. The minions coming to retrieve her like some animal ready to be taken on a walk was tiring. Any last remaining shred of her dignity was worth holding on to. When the time was right and Zelda was ready to face what would happen when she went to the field, when she saw him once more, she would leave. No Twilight beasts. No Zant. No being carried away by her enemy. The door was still open. As difficult as it would be to face him again, she would march out of there on her own accord.

Before, looking at herself in the blue dress, she had made up her mind. Was it the right choice? Perhaps not, but it hardly seemed fair. He had shared his past with her. It felt right to share her past with him, but she could not do it just yet. She laughed bitterly and turned over, burying her face in the sheets. It was so incredibly stupid. To share her inmost secret thoughts with Ganondorf, of all people, just because he shared his with her was ridiculous. She might as well just hand him her crown and wish him luck on his conquering of Hyrule. Why was she giving him any part of her when he had already forced so much from her already?

" _In this field, we are not enemies…"_ his voice whispered in her ears. Again and again, she could hear him saying it. She could not ignore the tone of his voice, sincere and almost pleading. It was so convincing, so manipulative, and she had fallen for it. Part of her wanted to prove him wrong for accusing her of having a perfect, uncomplicated life. That was far from the truth, and she felt stubbornly compelled to prove him wrong. His smug anger from their first meeting was chipping away at her and she absolutely had to prove him wrong.

And yet some small, lonely part of her despairing heart wanted to share with him the black stain on her past. Not a soul in the world knew the whole story of what happened. There were some things that she had vowed to keep secret. Now with the Twilight ripping open her soul and rendering her vulnerable and the burden of having her kingdom, her home invaded by beings from another dimension...now somebody who knew loneliness and regret and shame was asking her to share her own loneliness and regret and shame…

Zelda groaned into the mattress and unleashed an unexpected torrent of weeping. The burden she carried for all these years was too much to carry alone any longer. She had unwittingly found a kindred spirit in her enemy. She could not give up the opportunity for his companionship.

It was a terrible, shameful relief.

 **The Twilight was consuming her once more.** That oppressive, black cloud of gloom had returned. Zelda fought as long as she could against the Twilight before she decided to return to the field.

Zelda pulled on the a pair of soft leather boots she had found in the servant's quarters and wrapped the gray shawl around her shoulders. Shivering not from cold, but from uncontrollable nerves. A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach. Beckoning her to a tentative freedom, the tower door was open. The field and its creator were surely waiting for her. It was time to face her captor with a confession of her own.

Never having voiced her full story before, she needed to gather her thoughts before she saw Ganondorf. Words buzzed around in Zelda's head as she crept through the silent castle. Strangely, Zelda met with no Twilight beasts. Even the spirits seemed oddly absent. Loneliness overwhelmed her. The Twilight choked out her senses. Zelda could feel her resolve fading. It would be easier to just lay down in the entryway of her castle and let the sad, shadowy world consume her.

Golden eyes and red hair swam through her hazy thoughts. Zelda's heart skipped a beat and she found some of her life return. The massive, double doors leading to the courtyard were just before her. The end of the Twilight was close. Taking a deep breath, Zelda pushed open the doors and carefully made her way down the marble steps.

Her mind drifted back to the task at hand. She treaded down the path through Castle Town, her feet leading the way while her mind tried to piece together the best way to convey her confession. It was sickening to her, sharing a haunting piece of her past with any living soul, much less the living soul with which she was about to share. Yet Zelda felt a strong, unrelenting urge to share. It had to be done.

It seemed to take ages to reach the black, endless wall of Twilight. Zelda stood before it, a tiny creature against the behemoth. For once, Zelda took the time to actually study the wall. She noticed faint gold lines, sifting through the darkness. They were runes, unknown and alien to her, dancing over the black surface. Idly, she wondered if they were language of the Twilight people and what mysterious message was written on the wall? Was it a curse, binding her land to the darkness and keeping the sunlight at bay? It was something she felt like asking Ganondorf.

Zelda let out a nervous laugh. Yes, it made perfect sense to casually ask her enemy about the details of his horrifying grip on her kingdom and its people. But that was not the reason why she was there. She was there to settle a bizarre score with the Gerudo King. Without any more hesitation, Zelda stepped through the Twilight and into the field beyond.

The sun was low on the horizon, but the sky was fresh and glowing. It was just past dawn in the world beyond the Twilight. The field radiated in a soft, golden light and the air was cool for a summer morning. Immediately, Zelda felt her soul released from the dark world she left behind. The sunlight invigorated her and restored her strength. For the first time, Zelda was confident about her decision to tell of her past to Ganondorf. She still doubted if the choice was the right one, but Zelda knew that there was no turning back now.

It did not take long to find him. He stood with his back to her, facing east towards the slowly rising sun. His red cape gently blew in the morning wind. He was an impressive sight against the gilded sunrise.

She approached him slowly. The barley rustled around her blue cotton dress. Ganondorf did not turn towards her. She cautiously walked up to him. Zelda was standing right behind him. He was only an arm's reach away. She could have reached out and touched his shoulder.

He still did not turn to her. It was obvious that she was there, but he would not speak. He would not look. His stony silence extinguished her confidence. Zelda's heart pounded, frantically wondering if he was angry with her for making him wait.

"How long have you been waiting?" She asked, desperately wanting to break the aching stillness between them. Her answer was met with more silence.

"Ganondorf?"

"Why did you make me wait?" He questioned, not even bothering to turn to speak to her. However, he did not sound as angry as he seemed. It was still, quiet, and to Zelda, troubled somehow. It was not sadness she detected, but it felt more like disappointment. Her heart twined slightly and she wondered how long he had been here waiting for her.

"It is still my kingdom, my home," she calmly answered. "I will come when I want to come." She could not let him make her feel guilt. Zelda had to find some sort of control over her situation.

"You will always want to come…" she heard his voice rumble, barely above a whisper. This caught her off-guard. Zelda's cheeks flushed and she was quickly annoyed by his arrogance.

"You can't say that for certain," she snapped. "I am still Princess Zelda of Hyrule. I will have control over myself, regardless of what you say you know." At this, he finally had the decency to look back at her. To her aggravation, she saw a half smirk decorate his face. As he turned to her, his smirk widened. "What I say I know?" He remarked, mocking her words. "Oh Princess, I know you." She saw his eyes rove over her body, taking in her new attire. For the briefest moment, there was something indiscernible in his gaze, but whatever it was quickly changed into amusement. His smirk spread across his face.

"You look like a common tavern wench," he cruelly mocked.

A mixture of white-hot anger and embarrassment burned in her heart. Zelda glared back at him, furious and ready to storm out of the field. She was one arrogant remark away from rescinding her confession and never speaking to him again, as it should have been from the very beginning.

"You are despicable!" Zelda hissed angrily. "How can you say that about me?" She cried. "How can you say any of that about me? You hardly know anything about me. When we first met, you made assumptions about my life that you knew nothing about. You have known many other women whose name were Zelda. They shared my title and my powers, but they were not I. You know nothing about who this Zelda is." In her righteous anger, Zelda felt a surge of boldness and stepped close to Ganondorf.

"Yet, I know a great deal about you, Ganondorf. Do not be so conceited with me." Her eyes met his and she watched as the arrogance drained from his golden irises. He did not expect this of her. She felt satisfied at this. She refused to be vulnerable to his superiority. If she were going to open up her heart to him, he would be a gracious listener, just as she was.

"From eons of history, I know you," Zelda continued. "You have been around for far longer than I have. I'm just a small chapter of the seemingly endless book that is your life. You know nothing about me."

Her words rang over the field. The sun had risen to reveal a blue sky dotted with pristine, wispy clouds. Ganondorf's face was serious, but his eyes betrayed curiosity. Zelda waited for him to respond. She waited for him to argue back, or harshly put her back in her place. Yet he was silent. He stared back at her with intensity, waiting patiently for her to continue.

So she did.

"But…I want you to know this. Nobody knows the truth of what I'm about to tell you." Ganondorf took a step back, his eyebrows raised, face stern. Zelda crossed her arms and looked down at the swaying stalks of barely, trying to stay calm despite her rapidly racing heart. She could not consider it a second longer. It had to start now, or she would never again have the gumption to utter her story again.

"My parents had spent many years waiting and hoping for an heir to the throne," she blurted, voice quivering. Zelda's stomach dropped as she began her story. She could not look up, not yet.

"My father was from the line of the old Zelda…the very same woman who fought with the Hero of Time. It was vastly important to him that he carried on the family line. Their lives went by, childless and my father was pressured to name an heir. The closest relative was a cousin of his, and that man was to be named heir. Well as luck would have it, just a few days before this cousin was to be named the official heir to the throne of Hyrule, my mother discovered that she was with child. My parents were well past their prime, so it was nothing short of a miracle. In the autumn months, my parents were blessed with their first, and only, child. To their delight, they had a daughter that was born with three golden triangles on her right hand…" Zelda glanced down at her left hand, shaking slightly, and ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the mark of the Triforce, a bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. It thrilled them as much as it frightened them. My parents, and rightly so, worried that a daughter born with the Triforce was a sign of dark times to come. Darkness did surely come to Hyrule in the form of the Twilight curse but…there was something else that took place. It was the first darkening of my life... "

Zelda glanced up at Ganondorf. He also had his arms crossed, mimicking Zelda's defensive posture, but his eyes did not match the language of his body. They held each other's gazes for a brief moment before Zelda continued.

"My parents were not young when my mother gave birth. Their hair was turning silver at the time I was born, so when I was a small girl, much of their vitality and strength had waned. I hardly gave it any notice. They were loving, doting people and I had everything I ever wanted or needed. Yes, my life was charmed and dazzlingly perfect for my childhood years. That is one way you are right. For a time, everything was perfect."

Suddenly, Zelda could not look at her companion anymore. Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled those days, simple and happy. Her arms tightened around her body and she once more looked down at the field.

"You will remember that I mentioned a cousin of my father's, the one who was next in line to inherit the throne before my birth," she went on, trying desperately to hide the emotion in her tone. Grass rustled as he took a step to her, but Zelda shook her head. He stopped and Zelda finished her thought.

"Needless to say, he was not entirely pleased when he was suddenly bumped to second in line, right behind a wailing infant girl. He felt rather…slighted. In an incident that happened when I was still being cared for by a wet-nurse, this cousin came to confront the King. The guards quickly feared for my father's life and the cousin was thrown into prison, accused of an assassination attempt. My father was not forgiving. It was a betrayal by family, and that was not something he could pardon. An execution took place. It was not something my father rarely allowed…he was usually a merciful man, but even his own kin was not spared from his wrath. After, he forbade my mother to speak of it. I grew up always hearing rumors of the assassination attempt, gleaning details of what happened from guardsmen who were there and servants of the councilmen who saw it firsthand."

A frown crossed Zelda's face, thinking of what her life would be like if her father had shown even the smallest modicum of mercy. "I will say that my father made a grave mistake in harming his own family, for this cousin also had a child. He was a boy of about ten years of age, motherless since birth and now forced to face his adolescent years without a father. In the years that went by, my father did nothing for this child. His name was Aerin. After the execution, my father took charge of the estate that his cousin left behind. It was intended for Aerin, but my father was so enraged by his cousin's actions that it seemed he indented to punish the man even in death. My father was kind…he cherished all children, especially since it took him nearly half of his life before he was able to have one of his own. I will never understand the hostility that he fostered towards the innocent child of his would-be assassin. Aerin was rendered penniless after my father seized his estate and inheritance. It was my mother who begged the King to show some regard for the boy's life. So, Aerin was given a small allowance and then sent to live far away with a family of my father's choosing, or so he told my mother."

For a moment, Zelda paused. They were wandering into territory that was private, never disclosed to another soul. Zelda blinked back a fresh round of tears and looked up at Ganondorf.

"It was the summer just before my sixteenth birthday. The aging King was feeling nostalgic and he planned for the Queen and his daughter to take a small sojourn to the sea. I was thrilled, but I could tell that my mother was concerned. The king was frail. He suffered from numerous aches and pains and the physicians had recently given him a cane to walk with. She never said it, but I think my mother was afraid that this was more than a pleasant family trip. My father loved the sea…and she was afraid that he wanted to see it one last time before he passed into the next life. Perhaps she was right, but she was apprehensive and had every reason to be—" Zelda's voice cracked for a second. Ganondorf's arms loosened and Zelda saw that he ached to come to her.

So she took a step away from him and found her voice again. "As a precaution, we told only a small handful of people on my father's council of where we would be. We had an estate by the sea, and the location was a well-protected secret. Since the assassination attempt, my father was rightfully paranoid of his family's safety. He told only people that he absolutely trusted of the location, but there was one man on the council that I felt wary of. He had seemed to come out of nowhere. Familiar and yet a stranger to all of us, my father decided that he was to be on the council. Young and handsome as he was, something in his eyes did not set well with me and I decided that he was not to be trusted. For whatever reason, he was one of the few that my father put his trust in. Perhaps my father's mind was ailing as well as his physical body, but this man had wiled his way into my father's good graces.

While my mother agonized over my father's intentions of this journey to the sea, I was more bothered by the fact that this councilman that I did not trust knew the secret place that we were going to. I worried all throughout the seven-day carriage ride to our family estate at the seaside. We had planned to stay several weeks as my father could not be away for long.

It was a quiet, pleasant time, for the first few days. The waves of the ocean did not entice me to play as they once did. On the threshold of womanhood, I tried to be composed and dignified, so I spent much of the time in the small library of the estate. It was my father who dutifully strolled on the sandy shore. I would watch him from the window and sometimes wonder if my mother was not wrong about her assumptions. My mother herself could be found standing at the door watching over my father, refusing to walk with his cane, and obviously fretting over him. We spent little time with each other, as we were all immersed in our own little worlds for those few days."

The waves of sadness grew as Zelda came closer and closer to the heart of her story. "It is something I regret. I wish with all my heart that I had put down my books and spent time by the surf with my father, talking with him, learning from his wisdom…"

On the fourth night we were there, I awoke to hearing noises in the house. I knew that something was dreadfully wrong."

Then came her longest pause. She fell absolutely silent. Her mind went blank. Zelda willed her lips to move, but not a muscle moved. How could she go on a moment longer? All she had ever known came crashing down when she heard those strangers in her home. Now she was about to relive it for the first time and bring her darkness into the light. How could she find the strength?

A hand, gentle and comforting, came to rest on her shoulder. Zelda blinked slowly, coming back to the world around her, and saw that Ganondorf finally came close to her. His face was placid, betraying no emotions.

But his touch was all that she needed to go on.

"We had intruders…and I could hear my father yelling at them. Footsteps came running down the hallway and doors were being thrown open. I knew that I was being hunted down. They were looking for me. I had only seconds as I leapt from my bed and frantically tried to find a weapon to defend myself with. It was to no avail. My door was kicked in and men dressed in dark clothing came swarming into my room. A bag was shoved over my head and strong, rough hands grabbed my arms. I was dragged from my room, screaming at the top of my lungs. In the midst of the struggle, I could hear my mother's voice…

She was crying out for me. Her voice was desperate, pleading, her terror for me so heartbreaking to hear—" Tears threatened her again. Zelda could not hide the wetness in her eyes from Ganondorf anymore.

"I did all that I could to free myself, but I was helpless in the arms of my captors. Though it seemed to take an eternity, it was only a few seconds before I was flung into a small hallway closet and locked inside. I must have been in there for only a short time, for it seemed only a little while later that I heard the lock click and pale light flooded my prison. It was morning. The new light of day shone on a painfully familiar face."

A shot of anger, old and worn, but still white-hot and alive ran through her. "I was him. It was the councilman that I did not trust. My anger exploded and I screamed threats and obscenities at him. All he did was flash me a handsome smile. He leaned close to me and asked me if I remembered a distant cousin by the name of Aerin. In my shock, I stopped my ranting and I fell silent. It struck me, the eerie familiarity of this man. Though I had only met my unfortunate cousin once, I do not easily forget a face.

You're Aerin, I remember asking him, my anger forgotten in my shock and awe. He nodded yes, seeming almost happy that I remembered him. Then he pulled out some rope. His thugs came out of nowhere and grabbed my arms. Aerin himself wrapped those ropes around my arms and he tied me up. It was almost in a friendly manner in which he did so…he smiled pleasantly and spoke to me as though we were chatting over breakfast. I was frozen. Horror kept me silent. I was numb to what was happening to me. My life was rapidly spiraling into something out of my nightmares and I just…I just stood there and let it happen.

He recanted to me the sad story of his life after the execution of his father. In a shameful act of cruelty my very own father had deceived my mother…he did give the boy Aerin a small allowance of his own inheritance, but he did not send him to live with a family as he promised. That boy, just an innocent child having nothing to do with his own father's actions, was sent out into the world alone, banished from Castle Town. But he did not run away as he was ordered to. He lived as a street urchin in Castle Town, hiding in plain sight from my father and his soldiers. The money that he was given was his lifeline, but he did not touch it. Already the seeds of revenge had been sown. The embers of rage and hatred were already slowly burning inside this young boy. My father's harsh actions only helped to fan the flames. The young Aerin worked his way out of the streets, using his money sparingly and gradually growing his wealth by scheming and stealing. Nearly a decade after his banishment, Aerin the boy had disappeared behind the neat façade of an entrepreneur from a land far away. It was a charade, but posing as a wealthy young man, Aerin eventually worked his way into the political world of Hyrule. Under this guise, he found eventually found himself the apprentice of one of my father's councilmen…a man that happened to pass away in his sleep only weeks after appointing his new apprentice. My father met with Aerin…took a liking to him and appointed him as the councilman's replacement.

It was a wild story. I was amazed at how he could go from a child living on the streets to being on the King's council…but Aerin had a goal in mind and the end was in sight for him. As he finished his story, I realized that I Aerin was finished binding me. I was on my knees, arms stretched out at my sides and ropes wrapped from my shoulder to my elbow. They were…I was bound to the wall on either side of me. I could not stand. It was agony to move an inch because of they way I was tied up. Already the blood was rushing out of my arms and I could feel them going numb. It was all I could to do keep from crying out, begging him to release me. Instead, I decided to keep my dignity. I just looked into his eyes and calmly asked him what he intended to do next. All he said was..."

Zelda shuddered as she remembered his words. "You will know soon enough. At that, the door was closed. The lock clicked. I was shrouded in total blackness. It was like being in the Twilight…I did not know when it was day or night. I could not count the hours as they passed. I had no way of knowing how long I was locked in that closet, my knees aching and my arms swollen and numb from being bound and held up. It might have been a few days of lonely terror, but…

It was only the start of my nightmare. Aerin…I did not see him again but I—"

It took a moment for Zelda to gather herself. The tears flowed freely. Ganondorf's touch pressed down on her arm.

"I heard what he was doing…I heard the results of his actions…my poor parents. The goddesses only know what he was doing to them. Their cries pierced through the walls of my prison. At times, they said my name amidst the incoherent screams. Aerin knew that I could hear them…he wanted me to know just how deeply he wanted his revenge…and my father. He was specifically angry at him so, hearing my father's pain was…

I think that my mother went first. Her screams went silent and I did not hear them again. My father's torture went on for much, much longer. I cannot—goddesses help me, I cannot speak anymore of those horrific moments. I surely thought that the torture went on for weeks but, no. My parents, they were so old…so fragile. Whatever Aerin did to them…"

The wind whistled in the field. The blissful sun mockingly shone down on her. The cotton dress was too itchy. Ganondorf was far too close…

Zelda focused on every little detail of her surroundings, forcing herself to gather what little strength she had left. The worst if it would be over shortly.

"They did not last."

The world kept on turning. The sun did not forget to shine. The golden field continued to grow. Life went on, unaware of death and time and pain. And Zelda kept on living. She breathed a steadying breath. Ganondorf waited patiently.

"After the last terrible cries of my father fell silent, I knew that he was gone. I waited, the silence pressing and strange after the constant stream of their cries of pain. Aerin came to me soon. He did not wait. The door opened. The ordeal had only taken a week. Aerin told me, a pleasant smile on his face, that he wanted to make it last for as long as he could. He was disappointed that he was only able to get a week out of them. I was starved, sleepless, and on the verge of insanity. I felt like a wild animal, stuffed into a closet and forgotten. Unfortunately, Aerin had his own plans for me. I never knew what they were…thankfully, I never had the chance to see what his next step was. He himself cut the binds from my arms. I fell to the floor, too weak to stand. My arms felt as though they were on fire."

The ropes had dug into my skin. I felt blood from open sores trickle down my arms. The smell was horrendous. I knew that I was suffering from an infection…Aerin did not care, or even seem to notice. He grabbed my arms, right on my wounds, and pulled me to my feet. I stumbled through my agony, blinded by the light that I had not seen for seven days…

Then he brought me to a room…there were figures on the floor, covered by white linen. At first, I thought it was just my parents' bodies that I was seeing but I realized that there were more. The men Aerin had brought with him…they were just bodies to be used for his purpose. They had fulfilled their roles. Aerin wanted no witnesses to what he was going to do next. I was weak from pain, weak from hunger and fatigue. The sight of those bodies, my parents…those men, not innocent but still victims of this mad man's revenge…

It was invigorating. My suffering breathed a new life into me, this one filled with a revenge of my own. Aerin did not expect it….he expected me to be feeble. There was a fire burning in the hearth…next to it was a bottle of some alcohol, surely brought there by the men…the whole room was littered with these bottles. Some were empty, but there were just enough full ones…

It was a confusing blur, what happened next. I threw some bottles into the fire. The hearth blazed. Aerin chased me, but I managed to shove some of those white linens into the growing blaze. More bottles…the fire spread. Aerin was shocked. I was frantically trying to set the room ablaze without being caught. By the time he finally grabbed me, the room was burning. The bed caught fire…the bookshelf…it wasn't much, but it was just enough for Aerin to feel danger. I thought that he would let me go, save himself and leave me behind but I was wrong…

He pulled me down to the ground, putting his full weight on top of me. I screamed in fear and fury. Aerin would be taken by my revenge but…so would I. The room was hot, smoking. My own cries were mingled with Aerin's screams…right in my ear. The fire got him first. I had only seconds to shove his burning body off of me and to crawl blindly down the smoking hallway. The rest of the estate was catching fire. By the grace of the goddesses, I somehow made my way out of that house…the ocean air was cool, refreshing. I made my way to the shore, half dead, and laid my arms in the sea. The salt seared my wounds and I screamed in agony until I lost consciousness. A fisherman found me a few hours later. He had come to see what caused the cloud of smoke in the sky. He did not recognize me, but he could see that I was in trouble. I was brought to a nearby village. Some royal guards were stationed there, to my luck, and they immediately recognized who I was."

Zelda let out a bitter laugh. It should have a been a triumphant moment, her survival, her salvation. It was not. That had never been a joyful moment for her.

"They brought me back to the castle. There was panic, disorder. The councilmen were thrown into complete disarray. Aerin was missing and my parents were dead. The only heir to the throne was despondent and severely wounded suffering from a life-threatening infection…

The infection was healed. The wounds became ugly scars." Zelda ran her fingers over the thin cotton of the dress, feeling the hard bumps where soft skin should have been.

"It took months for me to speak again. The trauma of my imprisonment, hearing the sadistic torture of my parents, the fire I caused that took a man's life…I could not find the heart to speak. Sometimes I wished that I had been taken by that fire. Aerin would have still lost his game…I would have won and been at peace with my family instead of living, scarred mentally and physically. For those months, I hardly ate. I wished for my death. The survivor's guilt was too much to bear. I was responsible for Aerin's death. He was an evil man, yes, but…I did not want blood on my hands. I was just an innocent girl! What girl, what person at all wants to be the cause of another's death? Those months were the darkest times of my life…until the Twilight came…I isolated myself. I hated myself. Though it was twisted, I came to see myself as a murderer…just as evil as Aerin. I felt that…I needed to punish myself, and that punishment was making myself a prisoner in my mind. How could I mingle with the outside world when my soul was in turmoil? I was alone in this world and I wanted to wallow in my self-hatred and anger.

It was a long time before I came to terms with what happened. There was no bright moment of clarity that put things in perspective. There were no wise words to turn my darkness into day. People seemed to be afraid of me themselves…nobody knew what truly happened. All they saw was a smoldering remnant of an estate by the beach and a silent, sulking princess with terribly scared arms. For all they knew, I had killed my parents and gotten injured in the fire. Six months…six months went by before I told them my own version of what happened. I told the council that Aerin had come to visit my family on the vacation. There was an accident. It resulted in a fire. I alone escaped. It was a lie, but I could not admit what actually happened. The truth was too horrendous to speak of. I wanted nobody to know the truth. I wanted my parents to rest with dignity. I did not want the kingdom that they loved so dearly to know that they died screaming…how could I do that to their memory?

And also…I did not want anyone to know that I had taken a life myself…

She sighed heavily and uncrossed her arms. Zelda felt empty, drained after telling the worst of her story. "So after my false confession, I drew myself inward. I did not want any pity. I hated any sympathy. I did not want it. I did not deserve it, I told myself. My heart ached for the love of my family. My soul died every day from the burden that I bore. I was afraid that if anyone came close to me, I would reveal the truth of what happened.

The truth became a poison that I gladly took each day. People think that I am cold, haughty, and detached. They say that I am a brilliant ruler, but I am lifeless and unfeeling. If only they knew…if only they knew that I pour myself into my duties. The kingdom of Hyrule is the only family, the only friend that I have left. 'Princess' is more than just a royal title to me. It is all that I am and all that I ever will be. The passion and zeal that I have is for my Hyrule. To people, I am withdrawn. I am afraid to love again. I am afraid to lose. There is a well of love and loyalty inside me that is too precious to lose. I protect it with this façade I have put on. Truly…I am afraid of being vulnerable because I know what true vulnerability is. It has been six years since my parents' murders. I still hear their cries every night in my sleep. Each morning I wake up, I deepen my secrets. The scars on my arms are reminders of why I am who I am…"

With that, Zelda was finished. She had no more to say. Teardrops ran slowly down her cheeks. She had not realized that she never stopped crying. Ganondorf was no longer holding her arm. Zelda, slightly dazed, wished that strangely comforting weight was there again.

The man himself was quiet. Zelda did not want to speak again. It was his turn. He was taking it all in with a perplexed expression on his face.

After standing in silence, Ganondorf ventured one question. "Why did you tell me this? If it was something you never wanted anyone to know, something that you lied about, then why tell me?"

Therein lay her baffling dilemma, she thought. Their game of cat-and-mouse was something she did not want to lose. Yet, it was more than a game. Her story, her parents' memory was not worth using as leverage in some game she played with an enemy. Zelda saw that it was more. This was an invitation to take a step forward. Ganondorf's challenge was a chance for her to free herself of her haunting past. He was somebody safe to tell the story to.

Even so, it was still more than that. Zelda had wrestled with this for days before coming being come to terms with the truth. This was a confession that was almost as difficult as the truth of her parents' death.

"I told you because I am tired of being alone. You understand more than anyone the crippling sorrow of losing everything you hold dear. You know guilt…you have done terrible things in the name of revenge…you did what it took to survive, to meet your own ends. It terrifies me, but you and I…"

She laughed again, this time out of nerves. "You and I are more alike than I could have ever known."

"Nobody else has suffered the way I had. Nobody else can understand…but you…" She brought her eyes to him, towering over her with the pristine blue sky shining behind him.

"You…"

He turned his head to the side, his eyes narrowing with the slightest of smirks. Her heart turned, but not with anger.

"You know. I need that. It makes no sense, but you have broken through the layers of self-inflicted loneliness and seclusion that I have built for these past six years. For the first time, I want a friend. I miss companionship. I want someone to understand—"

His smile deepened. He took a step to her. Zelda was angry now, but it was at the way her heart beat and her skin flushed at his presence.

"This is not fair. I have truly always wanted this but—I hate that the understanding and companionship I've always longed for is found in you. I despise that I have a kindred spirit in the form of my greatest adversary! I don't know what you have done, but you've broken through to me."

He looked at her for a moment, no expression in his gaze. Then in a flash, Ganondorf grabbed her hand. Zelda struggled against his grasp, but he was steady and strong. To her horror, he began to push up the sleeves of her dress. She stopped her struggling, half confused, half curious as to what he was doing. Calmly, silently, Ganondorf's fingers ran up the length of her exposed skin. Zelda shivered at his touch, so unexpected and gentle. She held her breath. A heated tension burned the air between them. His fingers grazed the raised scars on her arms. Weakly, Zelda tried to pull away, but she was mesmerized by the surprising warmth of his touch. She relented to him. Ganondorf stepped closer to her and Zelda dared herself to look up at him.

That compassion she had once detested in his gaze was back again. Zelda's eyes suddenly welled with tears and she felt the exhausting burden of her past leave her. Her anger dissipated, leaving behind a burning need for his touch, his compassion…his companionship. For the first time in too many years, Zelda did not feel so alone. In that moment, it did not matter that her only solace had been found in this Gerudo King. Her heart had longed, not only for companionship, but for this long-forgotten intimacy as well.

Sensing a shift in her mood, Ganondorf let go of her arm. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her even closer. Zelda conceded to his comforting touch. Her mind was clouded by emotion, desperate for someone to care. She had not realized how deep the loneliness had burrowed into her soul. A tear rolled down her cheek and Ganondorf dutifully wiped it away. Zelda looked up at him once more. A poignant smile tugged at the corners of his normally grim mouth. She wanted to fall into his arms. She was so close. All it would take would be one more step, one swift movement and his strong, solid arms would wrap around her. Zelda wanted to know what it would be like to be held in the arms of her greatest enemy and her greatest comfort.

"I do like you this way…" He whispered softly, stroking his finger against the blue dress. Zelda's heart fluttered. In her memory, she thought of another whisper, soft and imploring.

" _In this field, we are not enemies…"_

Ganondorf's hand rose to her chin and he tilted her face upwards. Zelda was frozen with fear and a sudden ache in her stomach that was not sickness or nerves. It was unfamiliar, something else entirely. As she curiously gazed up at him, Zelda realized how tender his actions were.

Almost like the tenderness of a man to the one he loved…

" _In this field, we are not enemies…"_ A grim reality overcame Zelda. The ache in her stomach changed. Now, she felt sickened. This unexpected ally Ganondorf wanted to be was too out of place not to be suspicious. She had denied it from the first moment he had touched her.

Those words were not just an invitation to simply be neutral allies. They were a quiet seduction, a compelling plea to become something more. Her enemy was beckoning and she was about to answer his call.

The blood rushed through her veins and her heart thudded rapidly in her chest. Zelda sucked in her breath and the weight of Ganondorf's touch suddenly frightened her. She flung his arms off her and Zelda backed away from him, panicked.

"No!" She shrieked, her voice on the verge of hysteria. "No!" Ganondorf looked surprised at her abrupt outburst. He reached out his hand again, trying to catch her, to console her. "Stop this!" Zelda commanded, stepping out of his reach. "Do not touch me again!

He frowned at her, a contrasting, yet imposing sight against the lovely blue sky. Zelda felt like screaming. How could she have let him manipulate her like this? In what world did she really think that Ganondorf was her comfort?

"I don't know what you are trying to do, but—" All she could picture was him holding her and she felt the bizarre need to have his arms wrapped around her. "This is wrong! I should have never come here!"

"You will die without this place." He grimly replied. The Ganondorf that she expected was here again. It did nothing to quell her anger. It increased her panic. She wanted the other side of him again.

"No," she shook her head. "No, I will die without _you_. I won't give you the pleasure of having this control over me."

"What do you intend to do." He asked, hardly keeping the anger and disappointment out of his voice. She was silent for a moment. Death would be better than allowing him any closer to her. "I can't come back here."

"You will die," he growled. "That Twilight will kill you!"

Zelda could not take it a second longer. "THEN DON'T MEET ME IN THIS FIELD!" She screamed. Ganondorf's eyes widened and he took a step back. His face fell and Zelda saw hurt in those golden irises.

"Please leave me alone. I do not want to see you again," she whispered sadly.

"Why?" He asked, his voice a quiet rumble. "Do not ask that of me." He braved another step to her. Ganondorf placed his hand over his heart and looked her right in her eyes. "I cannot leave you alone…" He confessed softly. "Tell me why…"

This made her pause. For half a second, she wanted to console him. She wanted to reach out and place her hand on his chest and tell him that she was only doing this to protect herself. She could not accept his invitation, as much as the thought tempted her. It could not be. A thousand reasons for her to never meet with him again raced through her mind. So fast and so numerous they were, Zelda could not pick out a single one to give him. He was her enemy. He was the murderous, vicious, King of Evil from her past lives. Hyrule bore terrible scars from his actions long ago. Zelda felt for certain that this would not be the last attempt to conqueror Hyrule. He brought the Twilight to her home. He ripped her from her Throne and subjected her people to a fate worse than death. An endless stream of reasons were just on the threshold, ready to come pouring out of her mouth, each one justified and rational.

But one thought blazed, casting all the others in shadow. After what she had seen, what she had felt from him and her reciprocation…out of all those reasons, it was the most selfish, the weakest reason she could give him, but it was the one she feared absolutely.

"I am afraid of you…" Zelda's throat closed. No. There was more to it than simply that. It was not just him she feared…

"I am afraid of myself when I am with you."

Ganondorf cocked his head to the side, confusion replacing his sadness. He opened his mouth to no doubt ask another question, but Zelda could not be in the field with him for another second.

She turned her back on her captor and fled his field of gold.

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Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Let me know what you think so far. Good, bad, ugly or anything in between? Reviews and helpful/constructive criticism are welcome! Thanks again for giving "Fields of Gold" a try :)


	4. The Beckoning Darkness

I apologize for the ridiculously long time in between updates. Due to life and being busy and raising a child, I almost gave up on this story, but thanks to the encouraging review from **Tiff,** I got my passion & drive for the story back! This chapter kind of scares me a little bit and I feel like I'm taking a risk with certain aspects...but I hope that you guys enjoy. **R & R and Happy Reading **

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The air was clearer.

Somehow, the stench of Twilight seemed less pungent. Zelda breathed deeply and sensed the freshness of the air drifting in through her open window. She leaned her head against the hard stone of the window frame and drank in the strange yet familiar clearness. In her mind's eye, she imagined that it was evening time past the reaches of Twilight. The air was gentle and cool, feeling like true dusk, if that was something that could even be sensed. Regardless of what time of day it was beyond the wall of Twilight, it could not be denied that there was a tangible difference in the atmosphere of the captive Hyrule.

Still reeling from her latest encounter with the Gerudo King, Zelda had stubbornly positioned herself in front of the window, trying desperately to sort out the wild tempest of emotions in her heart. She had the wool shawl pulled tightly around her shoulders as if the soft fabric would shelter her from her internal storm.

The admission of her bitter past still burned on her lips and she wished to wash herself clean of her words. She nearly regretted telling Ganondorf of the truth of her parents' death and her own dark mourning, for it had ripped open old wounds in her already vulnerable state. Since her last visit in the field, she had been trying to patch up her torn soul. This raging pain of her past was something that was unfortunately familiar, but it was something that she could handle. Eventually Zelda would be able to push the memories and the pain aside and move on, for the time being, until the time would come and her wounds would be opened again. It was the endless cycle that would haunt her until her dying day. She had accepted this fate already.

It was another secret revealed that turned her stomach and flushed her cheeks at the mere thought. Zelda groaned and turned away from the dim sky. A cold and gray room greeted her as she turned around.

"I am afraid of myself when I am with you," she whispered to the emptiness, repeating what she had admitted to Ganondorf. How he had taken that, she could only guess. What other way could he have understood? It only had one possible meaning. The time she had spent with the Gerudo king was turbulent and confusing, but one thought was perfectly clear.

His hands holding her own, the way he gravitated to her, always needing to stand near, Zelda pushing herself away only because it was wrong to want him near…

Zelda closed her eyes and shoved that wretched thought down into the depths of denial. How could she even entertain that fantasy? Internally, Zelda shuddered at the word "fantasy."

No, it was not a fantasy. It was just…it was just forbidden thoughts escaping their rightful prison. Yet even as she tried to imprison her fantasy, her willful mind wandered back to that first vision, of him standing in the field looking like a Gerudo man and less like the enemy. That was her first time realizing that her feelings toward him were not as hostile as she wanted them to be.

"Stop this, you silly fool," Zelda reprimanded herself as she shook her head crazily. She stormed over to the bed and threw herself on the hard mattress. As she glared at the ceiling and cursed herself, part of Zelda wondered what would happen if she just let herself fall into whatever feelings had struck her heart?

Without wasting a breath, Zelda answered her own musing.

"It would be nothing short of a disaster," she muttered under her breath, faintly echoing in the Twilight. She answered with another question; how could anything get worse?

Zelda's voice of reason fiercely countered. She could almost hear herself in a sharp reprimanding tone, "how can you say that as if there is no hope? The Hero is out there fighting this evil. As long as there is hope, then you must continue to fight your own battle as well."

Sleep must have taken her sometime soon after that for Zelda found herself in a strange place that was not her tower. She was in an empty room with tall windows surrounding her, letting in the light from a dreary red sky. Music, haunting and somber, filled her ears and Zelda turned around to find the source. Her eyes quickly spotted an ornately decorated, massive organ that was pouring out the gloomy song. Her heart skipped several beats as Zelda recognized the figure that was skillfully dancing his fingers over the ivory keys.

It was him.

Ganondorf.

As if sensing her presence in the room, the Gerudo turned around to face her. Zelda's heart twisted but she found that she could not look away.

Ganondorf was the same but…different somehow. His appearance was gaunt, yet more hateful than the Ganondorf that she saw in her waking life. This Ganondorf did not have the graveness, the slowly burning anger and sorrow that her Ganondorf of the Twilight did. There was a fierceness that had not yet been diminished by the passage of time and bitterness.

Though as she stood there studying this Ganondorf, Zelda felt an undeniable draw to him. Her very soul demanded that she go to him, to connect with him in some wildly unexplainable way. It was not so much in a romantic sense, but the potency of this feeling was just as strong. She was just _compelled_ to him, intensely drawn to the Gerudo, as if her very life depended on giving in to her impulse. What was this sensation?

Zelda's feet shifted, hardly able to stay put. Why did she want to go to him and why did it seem that she had felt this way before.

Just as Zelda was piecing together an explanation for the compelling draw to Ganondorf, the dream changed.

The scene was changing. Ganondorf and his imposing organ were melting away. This new world swimming into view was colorful and water seemed to be everywhere. Zelda looked down at herself and found that she was not a grown woman, but rather a child. Without skipping a beat, she looked around, instinctively knowing that she was not alone.

Zelda, or rather the dream Zelda, found him quickly.

Ganondorf was there once again. He was a huge, hulking figure in the eyes of her child self. She craned her neck to get a good look at him. This form of Ganondorf was not as familiar to her, but she knew him still.

The memory of this past life was hazy and dim, but that feeling from before was just as strong. Zelda felt the need to connect with him. It was less potent, with her being a child, but the compelling draw was there.

Her heart was sad for this Ganondorf and she did not see him so much as an enemy, but rather a soul to be pitied.

Once again the dream shifted and Zelda found herself facing Ganondorf again and again. The forms that she took were different, but the same. In some way, shape, or form, she was Zelda and he was always Ganondorf. Every dream held the same powerful force drawing her to Ganondorf. It was a nearly insatiable need, an inexplicable pull that wanted her to connect with him.

The last images flashed before her eyes. A terrible dark figure with flaming hair stood before her in a stormy world. Lightning flashed and the rain pelted her skin, but she stood in the shadow of this being, unafraid.

Just as before, just as in every dream before this one, Zelda was drawn to this entity. Though, she was not Zelda as she knew all the other forms of Zelda's to be. This terrible man was not Ganondorf as she knew the other forms of Ganondorf's to be. This vision revealed something far deeper and more ancient than anything else she had seen. The endless battle between the forces of good and evil went far beyond just "Zelda and Ganondorf."

As Zelda stood there, she realized that she was seeing the beginning of that struggle. The battle started here with these two ancient beings, their names long forgotten to the ravages of time.

That compelling draw to her ancient adversary started here as well. Zelda, or whoever she was in this moment, hated this evil being before her but she could still feel a draw to him. Through her hatred, she could sense in him…Power, and in herself she could sense Wisdom.

Wisdom and Power, battling since the beginning of time…

Wisdom and Power…

"Wisdom and Power…" she whispered hazily. The image of the terrible man faded from view. Zelda felt her body waking, her mind coming to consciousness.

With a jolt, Zelda snapped up and threw her covers off. She placed her feet on the cold stone floor. Her heart was racing and she realized that she was holding her breath. She sucked in a deep breath as if she had just emerged from underwater.

Already the images of her dreams were dim and she had trouble grasping each different encounter with all the Ganondorfs, but that unrelenting feeling was not fading in the slightest.

Now that she was awake, it had increased tenfold.

Zelda continued to take in steadying breaths, trying to calm herself down. She was not even sure why she was so flustered. Now that she was becoming more awake by the second, she registered a burning sensation in her left hand: the hand that bore her Triforce.

For what seemed like an eternity, Zelda was still. She had not ever been so still before, drinking in the silence as if the nothingness held the answers to what she had just experienced. That dream was more than just random images. These dreams, these visions held a trove of truth that she had yet to grasp.

So she contemplated, her mind lost to any solid thoughts but rather swimming in all directions. All the while staring at her left hand, the golden Triforce exposed and faintly stinging.

What she had felt while encountering Ganondorf in her dreams, that draw, that pull, that compelling need…it was not going away. The more she sat on her bed and tried to convince herself that it was just part of her dream, the stronger it grew.

In her mind, in a place where dreams could not touch, Zelda knew that those Ganondorfs were from her own past life. Her ancestor, the Zelda and all the Zelda's before her had interacted with Ganondorf, and those feelings had once been very much real. The scenes from her dreams, the feelings, were no dream to her past lives. The Zelda of old had wrestled with this strange compulsion towards her mortal enemy.

No, what she had felt in her dream was just a reflection of what her heart was wrestling with in her waking life. For whatever reason, that struggle was coming clearly into the light.

Maybe…maybe she was just now for the first time realizing that this draw to him had always been there. Maybe this strange impulse had been there all along, but the Twilight fogged her senses and she could not clearly see exactly why she allowed herself to go to the field, to meet with Ganondorf, to share the secrets of her soul with him.

In fact, it took all of her willpower to keep her feet grounded to the floor. Every muscle in her body begged to flee to the field.

To the place where she had vowed to never return.

To the place where she knew he would be waiting.

The image of him in the field, standing in the golden barley and waiting for her to come to him was more than she could bear. It was not that she feared this thought.

It thrilled her. An overwhelming desperation to meet him again filled her. She sprang to her feet and marched out of the room, not caring whatever Twilight creature might meet her outside of her doors.

"What is happening to me?" Zelda asked herself, hearing the anticipation in her words. It was like she was in a powerful trance, unable to fight against the draw.

And she did not care to resist. It now seemed the most important task in the world to discover why she felt this way. After all she had gone through in this Twilight Occupation and in her life before that…Zelda felt as though she deserved some answers. Even in the wake of this confusing new development, things had never before been clearer. Her mind did not seem muddled by Twilight any longer. She was not conflicted about her feelings, but rather wanted to know what this pull to her enemy was.

Zelda had not ever felt this fearless before.

As she wandered briskly through her castle, making her way down to the courtyard, she recalled when she met with the Hero, the bearer of Courage.

It was true that there had been a connection with the Bearer of Courage. It could not be denied that the Bearers of the Triforces were uniquely tied together, but as for the compelling draw to Power…

Courage did not call to her so fiercely as Power.

Zelda stepped into the silent entryway, not bothered by the Twilight beasts lurking in the shadows. Ignoring the creatures, she continued to ponder on the relationship between the three pieces of the Triforce. After her dreams and revelation about her connection to Power, Zelda saw the Triforce in a whole new light.

Power, Courage, and Wisdom obviously balanced out one another. All three needed the other in some way, that much she had always believed, but they did not need each other equally. There were times when Courage did not need Wisdom or Power, just the raw bravery of one's heart. Yes, sometimes it did require Courage to be wise, but Wisdom could be meek and humble. Power was not always for the courageous. Sometimes Power was a brutish façade for the truly cowardly.

Power and Wisdom though, Zelda rationalized, were a completely different story. Their relationship together was far more complicated than that with Courage.

Separately they were vastly different. Power was a boiling, raging, nearly destructive force, especially in the hands of someone like Ganondorf.

Wisdom was the opposite. Like a gently flowing river, Wisdom was a mighty power in of itself, but in a temperate way, tranquil and neutral. Wisdom was a calming force, speaking to reason and rationality.

How did that relate to Power, Zelda wondered. Was Wisdom the calm to Power's storm?

Without Wisdom, Power was dangerous and volatile. Could it be that Power and Wisdom were drawn to each other because they were so different and in order to be successful, Power needed Wisdom?

Throughout her musings, Zelda had wandered aimlessly to the courtyard and through the town. Her mind still buzzed with Power and Wisdom, still trying to connect the pieces of their relationship. The Twilight was cool and dreary as always, but she did not feel bothered by it. That oppressive dusk still seemed lighter.

It was not long until she found herself standing in front of the looming black wall of Twilight. Without even a breath of hesitation, Zelda stepped beyond the blackness and into the field where she had promised to never come again.

Drawn there by some force beyond her own understanding, Zelda now stood in the golden field. The sky was gray and filled with soft rain, as if a thunderstorm had just passed through.

Zelda gazed at the horizon and noticed that something was different. She furrowed her brow and studied the sky. The black Twilight stain surrounding the field had ended! Zelda whipped around, making sure that the Twilight she had just come through was still there.

The dark wall was still right behind her, but Zelda saw that it only went to the left and right, just behind her. Darkness did not surround the field as it once had. The horizon was full of billowing storm clouds and golden barley.

Her heart soared, briefly forgetting all of her troubles. Hope shone like a beacon as she realized that Twilight was fading! Had the Hero and Midna done this?

Zelda strode deeper into the field, trying to reach that wonderful new horizon. Was this defeat of Twilight the reason for the clearness of the air that she had sensed? Did her dreams come because the Twilight was diminishing and the divine forces that controlled the Triforce were reaching through to her?

Her questions would have to wait to be answered.

Power had entered into the field, his presence overwhelming her as it never had before. Zelda stayed put, her back stiff and her heart racing. She did not know what to do. Part of her wanted to run to him and…and what exactly, she didn't care to discover. Instead she ground her feet in and let him come to her.

Wisdom was drawn to Power, the pull more intoxicating than it had been in her dreams now that she faced him in real life.

His heavy footfalls crunched over the delicate golden stalks, coming ever closer to her. Zelda closed her eyes and steadied herself for the inevitable encounter. She was afraid now to face him, but not for the reasons she had before. This new, or rather ancient, connection was as frightening as it was enlightening.

The Gerudo King was right behind her now, close enough to reach out and touch. Zelda half wished that he would.

Silence hung between them for a few moments. Zelda could not find the words to say. What could she say to him now after their last meeting? It was going to be up to him to break that silence.

And so he did.

"The Hero and his Twilight companion are wreaking havoc on my plans." His voice, deep and strong, rang out over the golden field. Shivers, not from cold or disgust, went down Zelda's spine. Her eyes opened, taking in the gathering storm in the newly liberated sky and she dared herself to reply.

"I had wondered if this breach in Twilight was the cause of all this clarity for me…" her voice in turn sounded timid, but for the first time in her encounters with Ganondorf, she kept the harsh bite out of her tones. She almost sounded kind.

"Clarity?" Ganondorf inquired, the curiosity evident in his voice.

She could not stand it a second longer. Zelda turned slowly as she answered him. "Yes, everything is—"

The second her eyes clamped onto him, Zelda's voice stuck uncomfortably in her throat. Images of her first daydream of him came violently rushing back to her. It was as if her fantasy had come to life. Ganondorf was dressed like she had never seen before, except in her damning daydream. He had been stripped of his heavy armor, in nothing more than a peasant shirt and breeches.

Zelda felt like her stomach was going to drop out of her body. Out of pure shock, she could not take her eyes off of him. This was EXACTLY how she imagined him. Was her daydream some sort of premonition?

She blinked her eyes several times, trying to shove back the wicked delight at seeing him this way. Now they were on even footing, the both of them coming to this field in disguises, as if pretending that they were not who they were and that their histories were peaceful.

After a few moments of tense silence, Zelda thought that she had better finish what she had started saying.

"…Remarkably clear now." Her voice sounded thick and awkward in her ears. Zelda's gaze flickered to Ganondorf's face and his smile held amusement at her reaction.

"What is clear to you now, Princess?" Ganondorf's smirk did not fade and he took a step closer to her. Zelda watched him warily as he did, but her heart could not muster any hostile feelings. She was far past that now. Instead she felt eager to take a step nearer to him.

"I could not help it. I was compelled to return," Zelda admitted finally, allowing herself just one small step towards the Gerudo.

The smirk on Ganondorf's face faded and his features fell into a soft expression. "I said that you would return," he murmured, his voice stern but gentle. "You cannot help it, just as I cannot help it…"

It dawned on her, but did not surprise her, that Ganondorf had known of this strange compelling draw to each other. Perhaps he had known for eons, his past lives living with the struggle just as hers had.

Zelda recalled how he once said that if there were not such a bad history between them, that things would be different. Did Power fight so hard against Wisdom because it knew that Wisdom could tame it? She remembered back to her dream and wondered if this draw to Ganondorf was as strong with the other Zelda's as it was with her. Was this Ganondorf's draw to her just that? Power's draw to Wisdom or was it something far deeper? Had it always been this potent, this…intense?

The Triforce did not split into three until the Gerudo King touched it, but Zelda wondered if in a way, Power had always been in the heart of Ganon, fighting relentlessly against Wisdom and goodness since the beginning of time. Her dreams revealed as much. Zelda remembered that terrible figure with the flaming hair, powerful and raging…

What role did Wisdom play in return? Did Wisdom seek to calm the raging storm of Power? Was this why she was so intensely drawn to her age-old adversary? Was she to be the soothing voice to this ferocious beast, fulfilling an ancient need? Zelda looked into the golden eyes gazing down at her and she felt that perhaps for the first time, Power and Wisdom were perfectly aligned and seeking the same destiny.

"You did say that. You were right. This is hard for me to admit but also—"

Why was she going to say this? It would be the final nail in her coffin. When she admitted this, everything would change.

The draw to Power tugged at her heartstrings and Wisdom was a slave to answer. Her words tumbled out of her lips, Zelda suddenly not caring about the repercussions.

"I've realized that I no longer fear you." Ganondorf raised his eyebrow in mild surprise, but Zelda could see the corners of his lips raise ever so slightly.

He was pleased.

"Let me ask you this, Princess." He looked down at her and Zelda met his gaze. "Do you still fear yourself when you are with me?"

Zelda abruptly turned away from him to face the continually gathering thunderstorm, not wanting to answer because she did not know herself. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance. A few drops of rain fell from the sky. For the life of her, Zelda could not describe her feelings toward Ganondorf. Fascination, a desire to know him, the powerful force drawing Wisdom to Power, and her fantasy in the flesh…

Her feelings being fully realized made her think that she should fear herself with him, but she wanted to badly to deny it. She was desperate to hate him for everything that he was.

But this compulsion to him would not allow it. Their history, despite it being bloody and violent and hateful, could not allow her to despise him. Wisdom could not hate Power, not matter how desperately the Bearer tried to.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and Zelda melted at the touch. She could not hate him because she was too consumed with hating herself for craving the touch of Power.

The rain thickened ever so slightly as they stood there in comfortable silence. Zelda had one question of her own, hoping that Ganondorf would not press his own unanswered question.

Zelda turned to face him, his hand sliding off her should and she felt oddly empty without his hand there.

"Has there always been this draw to one another?" Zelda questioned. "Even when our ancestors were in the thick of battle? Did Power and Wisdom always pull to each other? I think that the answer is yes but, I want to hear it from you. I want to know this from Power's side."

To her satisfaction, Ganondorf brought his hand back to her shoulder. He tenderly stroked the blue fabric of her simple dress. The thoughts behind his eyes were swarming, searching for an answer to her question.

"Yes," he started off slowly, seemingly distracted by his hand touching her shoulder. Zelda knew that she was distracted…

"There has always been this maddening pull that drew me to her, to the other Zeldas. Power has no use for courage...Courage would only fan the flames of Power. Wisdom however...wisdom tames power. Power needs wisdom, the compliment each other. I never understood what the pull to your soul meant...not until I saw you, despondent and weak, in the throne room. When I saw you, I knew what the pull meant. You were different than the others. In you, I saw the meaning of our eternal struggle. For the first time, I saw you as an ally, as well as an enemy. Wisdom is my anchor, my rock. Power is your freedom, your passion. You need me as much as I need you. So yes...there _always_ has been this draw to you, to Zelda. There have been times where the Bearer of Wisdom and I have had mutual respect…there has been times of hatred…there has been times of deep bitterness…but now, with who you are now and with who I am now…"

His other hand reached up to grasp her other shoulder. Zelda felt him pull her close, closer than she had been to him. Some rational place in the back of her mind feebly commanded her to resist, but Zelda could not. She would not.

Ganondorf's face formed into an expression that would have once sent her into a panic. Now she reveled in his gaze.

"There has never been anything like this…" he whispered with the tenderness of a man to his lover.

"Like what?" Zelda whispered back, wanting to hear him say it, to admit at what was happening to them.

His answer was to draw his face to hers.

"No," she whispered, pushing back against him. It was a pathetic attempt at saving face. She knew exactly what she was going to do and she had every intention of doing it. Ganondorf paused for the briefest of seconds, giving her the chance to resist. Zelda stayed still, allowing him to draw as close as he wanted.

His finger gently grazed the skin of her chin as he tilted her face to meet his. Zelda was so close to him. She could see the flecks of brown in his golden eyes. He leaned in closer, his fingers still beneath her chin. He slowly drew her in until his nose was pressed against hers. His breath warmed her face.

What had happened to the space that was just between them? Zelda had arched her neck, her face to his face, willingly drawing herself closer to him.

When had she let this happen? Zelda found that she didn't much care at the moment. Her mind would only focus on the man right before her.

Ganondorf's mouth was set into the faintest of smiles. He lowered his lids and was looking down at her eyes with a smoldering intensity. She could feel his mouth lingering over hers, so close to touching, only a breath away.

Zelda's entire body was quivering, not with fear, but with something new, something she had never felt before. It was like a hot, slow burning ember had been dropped into her stomach and it was ever so agonizingly consuming her, clouding her thoughts and judgment. All she wanted to do was let herself be ignited by the burn.

This was her first taste of desire. She knew it.

A flush spread across her cheeks as she realized what she was feeling. Somewhere at the back of her mind, that rational voice once again commanded her to push away from Ganondorf and run for her life.

The command was faint and weak.

Desire spoke stronger.

Zelda pushed the voice away and let her instinct guide her. Zelda lifted her hand, her mind hardly believing what she was doing. She gingerly placed her palm against his exposed chest, right over his heart.

His skin was warm to the touch and damp from the rain. She could feel the steady thudding of his heart beneath her palm. Her fingertips wandered curiously over his broad chest, stopping over his breastbone.

At her touch, Ganondorf let out a heavy sigh, one laced with yearning. His body collapsed against her as he sighed. He wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed tighter until her whole form was melded warmly with his.

Her hand still rested on his chest. He closed his eyes and cupped his hand against her cheek. Out of instinct, Zelda leaned into his palm.

His lips were barely grazing over hers now. The faint touch of his mouth against hers was tantalizing. Zelda's heart leapt wildly. It felt so deliciously forbidden to be so near to this man in such a way.

She could not get enough of it.

"Zelda," he murmured. His words were hardly more than a whisper. She felt his words more than heard them. His chest beneath her fingers reverberated with the sonorous tones of his voice.

It was the first time he had called her by just her name. No royal titles or anything; just her name.

A hot tingling spread over Zelda. She lifted her other hand and placed it on his stomach. She could feel his tight abdominal muscles through the thin, rain soaked shirt.

Suddenly, she wanted more.

All that she wanted in that moment was him.

Ganondorf had reached his limit as well. His fingers wove into her hair as he closed the gap between their lips. Zelda saw him smile before she closed her eyes.

His mouth crashed into hers. He did not ease into it slowly. Zelda did not want him to. She was far too consumed by the burn to deal with polite, chaste kisses. Their kiss was deep and passionate.

Their lips moved perfectly in sync, pressed up against one another without any thought of pulling away. Yet he held her ever so gently and his lips were soft. She felt completely and utterly at ease in his strong embrace.

His hand tangled further into her hair. Zelda clutched at him, trying to pull her as close to him as possible. She felt the rhythm of his heart begin to beat faster underneath her hand.

She was fairly sure that her own heart had completely stopped.

Nothing had ever felt more right, more desirable in all her life. No one had ever kissed her like this. No one had ever really kissed her at all. As Ganondorf deepened the kiss, she dimly recalled the young boys who had tried to court her and even managed to place a few small kisses on her cheek. They all seemed so weak and silly when compared with the powerful man she was kissing now.

She did not know what she wanted until it took her in this field. How could anything else ever amount to this, she did not know. Soon, Ganondorf's persistent lips urged her thoughts back to him.

After what seemed an eternity, they pulled apart and Zelda inhaled a great gasp of air. She did not realize that she had been holding her breath.

Ganondorf wasted no time. His mouth traveled along the line of her jaw. He muttered something unintelligible before he began to kiss her neck with a burning hunger. Her body shuddered at the warmth of his mouth on her skin. A soft sigh escaped her. He sighed heavily in response.

His red hair tickled her cheek as his mouth wandered to the hollow of her throat. His hand moved down, down, down. He brushed her shoulders before he settled on her waist. Both arms were now tightly holding her. Zelda's own arms had somehow wrapped around his broad body. Ganondorf brought his lips roughly to hers in another breathtaking kiss. She hastily accepted and returned his fervor with her own.

They stood there as one, the world around them washed away and forgotten.

After a second eternity, they pulled away, breathless and flushed. Ganondorf's hands tugged at her waist and she fell against him once more. He let out a contented sigh and cradled her head in his huge hand. Zelda could not help but feel comforted by his touch. They said nothing to each other. What could be said after a moment like the one they had just shared? Words were not needed in that field.

Zelda opened her eyes, almost embarrassed to face Ganondorf after what they had just done. Zelda could not force herself to look up, so she settled for staring at his chest.

She felt a finger underneath her chin as he softly turned her face upwards. Her eyes looked up from his bare chest and found his face.

Ganondorf gazed down at her. The fire in his golden eyes had cooled and he looked at her with tenderness. Zelda wondered what she looked like in his eyes. Did her face flush with passion still? Shock at herself for what she had done with him was now creeping over her. Could he read that shock in her expression?

Zelda peeked over his shoulder and saw that the setting sun was breaking through the clouds. A red and gold glow shone behind the mountainous clouds, casting the field in a crimson light. The contrast of the thick, puffy rainclouds and the red sunset was hauntingly beautiful. Zelda looked back at her companion. His face was solemn, but Zelda could read in his eyes a world of unspoken emotion.

Zelda leaned her head against his chest. His heart was still racing, thudding soundly in her ears. She closed her eyes and drowned in the beating of his heart. There, in that small golden field with the red skies pouring out the last drops of soft rain, it was the most precious sound in the world to her.

The Gerudo King had beckoned. She finally gave into the pull of his call. In this field, things were different. The outside world could not touch them here. She had made her choice.

Zelda had stepped over the precipice. There was no turning back now.

* * *

OHH MY GOSH, I was seriously nervous to post that KISS! I was worried that it might be a little too much and I even cut some stuff back and dialed it down a bit. I guess in my mind I'm thinking that she's entering into a relationship of sorts with Ganondorf and he's one evil chump. I don't think that a sweet, chaste, polite relationship is what would actually happen. I think that Ganondorf would draw some rebellion out of Zelda and their relationship would be rather...intense. I wrote that kiss scene almost two and a half years ago (before 98% of this story was written) and I've been kinda eager to get to this point.

I also wanted there to be something that drew her to Ganondorf because really, he is her mortal enemy. What could possibly bring them together like that other than some crazy powerful force that she can't quite understand? I guess I wanted it to be an attraction to the enemy that made sense and actually had some reason other than "he's tortured and actually nice kind of."

So...let me know what you think. Is the kiss too much? Was Zelda coming to this point of surrender believable or lame? Does the connection between Power & Wisdom make sense?

Thanks for taking the time to read my story!  
~ Ginger


	5. Beneath the Stars

**And now, nearly a year later (life is just nuts) here is the fifth installment of Fields of Gold. Happy reading :)**

* * *

Twinkling lights danced in the night sky, sparkling down at the couple below, as they lay entwined on the hard earth. The storm clouds from earlier that evening had long since drifted away, leaving behind a fresh new world, washed clean by the rain. Cool droplets still clung to the drooping eaves of barley, every so often falling onto the warm skin of the Princess, each time startling her out of the dreamy stupor she had fallen into ever since the sky had turned from sunset to night.

It had been so long since she had seen the stars. Zelda gazed upwards, mesmerized by the nearly forgotten sight of the stars trailing across the darkness, illuminated by a glowing crescent moon. Twilight had blocked out all the stars from her lonely view of her tower prison. Now, here in her enemy's embrace, the Princess reveled in how lovely the world was when had fallen behind the horizon to reveal the secrets of the night.

A chill suddenly came over her and she pressed herself more closely against Ganondorf's body. His hand, which had been resting on her shoulder, reached up and he began to weave his fingers through the silky strands of her hair.

Words had not passed between them since their passionate kiss. What use were empty words in the heavy silence that followed? No, it was useless to speak. Instead, they drank in each other's presence and let their touch and gazes be the unspoken conversation between them. For the first time since the Twilight Occupation began, Zelda's world was at peace. Even if the peace itself seemed like a beautiful farce, she wanted to hold on to this feeling for as long as she could.

A lively gust of air blew over the golden field. The soft stalks hissed gently as they swayed to the merciless urging of the wind.

"Zelda?"

Her name spoken by his deep voice interrupted the silence of the night. It was jarring, almost offensive, to hear anything other than the noises of nature. Despite her annoyance, Zelda could not help but turn over to face the owner of that voice.

Ganondorf's golden gaze was already trained on her face. She felt his strong arms pull her closer.

"Zelda…" he said again, though this time, it was not to get her attention. His voice burned her soul and Zelda felt that agonizing draw to him once more. She was helpless against the call of Power as her body melded with his. Hands tangled deep into her hair. Lips grazed over her cheeks. The heat of the moment melted away the peaceful night. Zelda was losing herself in Ganondorf once more. The stars watched impassively as Ganondorf rekindled the moment from hours before. With more experience and confidence this time, Zelda fervently stoked the fire, returning his passion with her own.

A kiss was far more satisfying than anything either one of them had to say.

Ganondorf pulled away far sooner than Zelda. Her hands were clutching the back of his head, willing him to come back to her.

Still burning, Ganondorf locked his blazing eyes on hers. The intensity that Zelda saw burning in his expression frightened her.

"Come with me to the Castle…" Ganondorf whispered, as if he were trying to hide his request from the sharp ears of the goddesses. Even so, his voice was hoarse with passion and Zelda felt his fingers tightening on her in a grip that was both painful and exhilarating.

A moment of conflict passed while Zelda let his words sink heart thudded incessantly at the implications of his offer. This man, her enemy, was asking something of her that should have horrified her. And it did, truthfully,

Yet it horrified her even more how willing she felt to accept his offer. The pull of Power was overwhelming to Wisdom.

Zelda forcefully sat up, pulling herself away from Ganondorf's warmth. The cold night air assaulted her senses, as though a bucket of water had been thrown on her, snapping her back to the grim reality of her life.

Wisdom called stronger and rallied Zelda's last visages of shaky resolve.

She did not want to return to the cursed world and break the spell that had been cast over their golden field. Zelda did not want to return to Hyrule, where villains reigned and her very soul was drained of life and vitality. Most of all, the Princess did not want to face the painfully obvious fact that the reason her beloved kingdom, and even her own life were in peril was because of the man who was tenderly stroking her cheeks.

In this world of barley and stars, Zelda could blind her eyes and pretend that Ganondorf was the dashing suitor that she had always dreamed would come to sweep her off her feet.

He had indeed swept her off her feet, and in the same breath, had taken her home and forced her to suffer in the poisonous Twilight. That man who had taken countless lives was now grazing his thumb over her lips, with all the tenderness that a man would do with his lover.

But Zelda knew that if she did not take a stand now, she never would have the strength to do so again. There had to be rules. There had to be limitations. She could not barrel headfirst into the fray with her eyes shut. Zelda needed to protect what little pride she had left. So she turned from him to gather her thoughts and gazed up at the heavens above them. Ganondorf had sat up as well, as if he could not bear to be apart from her. Zelda momentarily turned back to Ganondorf, meeting his eyes that glowed golden in the darkness.

"I cannot go there with you," Zelda stated firmly. She watched as her companion pulled his brow into a frown, but he remained silent.

"I cannot step into the Twilight and witness the damage you have done to me, to my home, to my kingdom, and pretend that all is well. In Twilight, we are enemies. It would be a betrayal to all that I hold dear, to be with you in Twilight. We are not enemies in this field. You have told me this again and again. This is the only place that we cannot be enemies. This field is the place where I forget who I am and where my loyalties should lie. This field is the only place where I am not the Princess of Hyrule, and where I can betray my duties to be with you without feeling shame. Do not ask me to again to return to the Twilight with you. I cannot put aside my conflict there. I cannot blind my sight from reality when the Twilight is oppressing my senses. No. I will only see you here."

"You'll change your mind," Ganondorf murmured softly. It was af if her warning did not faze him at all. He even leaned over to Zelda and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, cupping his hand on her cheek as he did so. As he pulled away, Zelda was struck by how familiar Ganondorf already was with her. It was not too strange, was it? Their souls had known each other for ages. Was it only natural that they would be so settled in each other's presence, finally acting as companions rather than enemies?

Silence enveloped them as they sat in the field, but this was not the same comfortable silence from before. Panic was gripping her. The conflict that she had been carrying as she entered the field was weighing heavy on her shoulders again. Ganondorf might be right. Ganondorf had been right about her draw to him, their draw to each other. What if he was right again about this? She very well could change her mind and meet with him beyond the borders of the field. What then would she become? Who would Princess Zelda be when she was held in Ganondorf's arms in her captive castle, suffering under the Twilight? Would she cease to be a prisoner of Ganondorf and turn into his ally?

If that became her role, would her heart be so changed that she turned away from her people, her kingdom and rule the Twilight with him? Zelda remembered his kiss, his hands running through her hair, his warmth seeping into her skin, and she knew her weakness. The betrayal of her people would come at the hands of her own selfish desires. The argument that she had just presented to Ganondorf, as to why she needed to stay away from him in the Twilight seemed so weak, so foolish now. Would it just be easier to succumb to him?

In an instant, Zelda was on her feet. She had to leave the field. She had to go back to her lonely, cold tower prison and regain her mental strength. The irony was not lost on her; going back to the Twilight to regain her strength, to flee from her refuge from Ganondorf. Zelda realized that no place in Hyrule was safe for her anymore. The Twilight would drain her physical strength and the field, her place with Ganondorf, would tempt her desires and sap her of mental resolve. It was a matter of bearing it in each place for as long as she could.

"I need to leave," she snapped back at Ganondorf as he also rose to his feet.

"Zelda," he reached out and tried to grasp her hand. "Stay with me until the morning." But Zelda shied away from his grip.

"No. I've been here with you for too long as it is. I can't stay a moment longer or else—" She caught herself just before she admitted her weakness to Ganondorf. How could she have done that? How could she have admitted to him that she was dangerously close to throwing it all away for him? Especially after she tried to tell him no?

Zelda backed away from him, shaking her head, tears threatening to spill over. She wanted to stay. She wanted to run. The pull was far too strong to ignore yet far too frightening to give in completely. Ganondorf attempted to fill the gap between them, taking steps towards her but she still backed away from him.

"Why do you always flee from me? Why can't you just stay and face the inevitable?" The look of hurt in his eyes tore at her heart unexpectedly. Zelda let him come close to her, staying just out of his reach. If he touched her now…

"Because even though being here with you is…" Zelda tearfully replied as she tried to gather her thoughts. "…as if I am fulfilling some need that I never knew I had…some part of me knows that I still must fight against this."

His frown deepened. He tried once more to take her in his arms, but Zelda backed away.

"You may feel the need to fight this now but…you will be back. You will always come back to me." Ganondorf warned gently. The earth swayed beneath her feet at his words. He spoke the truth.

"I know." Zelda whispered to him as she turned around and disappeared into the darkness of the empty field.

* * *

Zelda found herself not in her tower, but rather back in her old room, the place where she lived before the Twilight. The clothes from long ago, when she had tried to find an unassuming garment to wear to the field, were still strewn about. Careless. Messy. The state of the room reflected just how Zelda felt about herself now.

A mirror stood in the corner of her room. Zelda had been standing in front of that mirror for what felt like hours, studying the unfamiliar girl in the cloudy reflection. When she looked into the mirror, she did not want to see the princess of Hyrule, chosen of the goddesses, ruler of the land, and protector of the realm. Not right now. She could not bear to see that person looking back at her. She would be so ashamed of the one she beheld. At that moment in her life, when she looked into the mirror, she wanted to see...just...just Zelda.

That is why she wore simple clothes to the field. There she was just a girl and he was a man, the unfortunate choice of her misguided affections.

The Twilight was different than the field. Zelda affirmed in her mind a thousand times over that it had to be. If she let Ganondorf into her heart in a place that was outside of the field, it would be disastrous. He was her weakness, and the Twilight made her weak. She refused to let herself be any more vulnerable to him than she already was. She was the Princess of Hyrule. She was destined to rule, to protect, to give her life for this land.

Yet perhaps somewhere buried deep within her soul, Zelda had wanted a different life. Since the death of her parents, many things about her desires and dreams changed. Maybe her royal position had morphed into mindless duty instead of being done out of genuine love for her kingdom.

As much as she justified in her mind over and over that the field was for Ganondorf and the Twilight was for her to suffer through alone…was she going through this ordeal because she of her true love for Hyrule or because she knew of no other purpose?

Maybe, being just a girl named Zelda that was all she had ever wanted to be, and Ganondorf was here now in her life to give that to her?

* * *

So I know that it seems like Zelda flip-flops between a thousand emotions in this small scene, but I would almost expect her to. She's starting a relationship with her ancient mortal enemy - I don't think that this life-changing event would be peaceful. I feel as though she would run through a gamut of emotions from start to finish. This is not an easy situation to be in, and I don't think that she would ever feel truly settled. She might, in certain moments, but then she would always have to face reality sooner or later. And I think that reality would be hard to come to terms with when you have such a strong connection with someone and a desire to be with them, even though you know it's probably not the right thing to do. I just feel like she's got a lot to process at the moment. Anyways, let me know if Zelda seems over-the-top or crazy or too emotional or perhaps, just right.

Also, this scene bridges the gap between them coming together with their first kiss and the...events...that will happen next, and for some reason, it was SUCH an awkward bridge to cross. I guess that's why it took me nearly a year to gather the courage to finally write the dang thing! I guess I wanted something more than fluff and emotions to be in this chapter but I think one chapter of those things will be alright. Right? Hopefully once this scene has been put behind me, I can move forward with cranking out chapters quicker and they will have more plot and action and dialogue. I hope you enjoyed this fluffy, emotional chapter and thanks to all my patient readers & followers who are sticking with me!

~Ginger


	6. Blinded in the Dusk

**Oh look, it didn't take me an entire year to post another chapter! Thanks to Icing Flower and a Guest reviewer for your epic and encouraging reviews! I absolutely feel on fire for this story, and I hope to finish it by the end of summer. I would like to finish sooner, but ya know, adulting and life things get in the way. But anyways, huge thanks to all who favorited and followed the story. It means so much that this unconventional pairing is getting so much love 3 thanks for understanding my kind of crazy! So, just a reminder that this story is rated T and this chapter is no exception. Thanks for giving my story a chance, and happy reading.**

* * *

 **Twilight drifted endlessly** onward, unchanging, everlasting, save for the golden field where Zelda now spent her waking hours. Ganondorf was ever present at her side, her one companion in this strange new life. When the sun dipped below the horizon, Zelda would return to her room in the castle to sleep, cold and alone, while the Twilight sapped her strength. When she arose, Zelda made her way back to the field, knowing that the dawn would be just beyond the wall of dusk. Oftentimes, Ganondorf would be there waiting for her, enveloped magnificently in the newness of the day.

There were rare times when Zelda was alone with the barley and the sunrise. It was unnerving to be there without Ganondorf. His presence was so intimately tied to the field, it did not feel right to be there without him. Instinctively, Zelda knew that the times she spent in the field without him, he was attending to "business." What exactly that entailed, she could only guess and frankly, she did not want to know. It could only mean trouble for her and Hyrule, so it was better for her to pretend that Ganondorf's absences meant something else entirely.

Not a day had passed that Zelda did not come to the field, whether Ganondorf joined her or not. Truthfully, Zelda hated being alone. Her thoughts ran too wild of late. Ever since she had stood in front of the mirror, anxiously questioning her purpose and true desires, it had been a daily battle to push those thoughts aside. They were now far too entangled in one another to walk away, but Zelda feared what going forward would mean for them. There were only two outcomes: the Hero would win or the Hero would lose. Neither one was ideal for their future. Therein lay Zelda's conflict. It was far simpler to live in the moment and let the future come when it may. Still, the pressing uncertainty plagued her constantly and threatened to spoil her happiness in the field. So the hours would pass as Zelda sat beneath the brilliant summer sun and she wrestled with her thoughts. Yes, she despised the field alone but she despised the Twilight more. Being there by herself would only make everything worse.

When Ganondorf was there to meet her, as he often did, Zelda left her troubles in the Twilight as best as she could. Several days after their first kiss, the two had quickly settled into a comfortable routine. Together they would wander the field, sometimes silent and sometimes engaged in a tentative conversation. Their fingers would always be entwined as they explored their shared haven. On one of her first days alone in the field, Zelda happened upon an old fallen tree that had long since disintegrated into a thick log. It was just big enough for two. That old log became their new meeting place in their field.

Nearly a month had gone by since their "alliance" as Zelda liked to think of it, had begun. No longer were they truly captor and captive, villain and heroine. They were something different, something to which Zelda could not, or maybe would not, put a name.

It was there sitting on that fallen tree together that Zelda and Ganondorf had slowly become better acquainted. Conversations were tedious, slow, and uncomfortable in the beginning. Zelda still closely guarded herself, but by Ganondorf's persistent urgings she had cautiously started opening up to him. It was a frightening new intimacy to speak to him so personally, but Zelda gradually welcomed his conversations as much as she did his touch. During their talks, Ganondorf never asked her to meet him at the castle but Zelda could see that question burning behind his gaze. She was grateful that he did not ask again because she feared that she might be too weak to refuse him a second time. Especially now, since their companionship was deepening by the day.

* * *

"I'm curious about something…"

The unlikely couple was sitting at their usual spot on the fallen tree. A warm late afternoon sun shined down on them, with a humid breeze rustling Ganondorf's loose shirt. Zelda was nestled into his chest, feeling the rise and fall as he took smooth, relaxed breaths. Her thoughts, inspired by the blazing sun, had turned to Gerudo Desert and the lost tribe that once lived there.

"What is it," Ganondorf murmured in response. He leaned in closer to Zelda and ran his lips over the soft skin of her neck. Zelda shivered at his touch and had to force herself to push him away.

"Listen to me," she snapped playfully. "I have a serious question. It's something that I've always wondered about and my tutors and history books never gave me a clear answer. I suppose the nature of the question was rather...sensitive, and the people of Hyrule found it distasteful, but I have always been so curious"

A laugh emerged from Ganondorf's chest. It rumbled against Zelda's back for a brief moment before she sat up and turned to face him. A devilish smirk decorated his face.

"What a sheltered thing you are, that you come to me to as the source of all the sordid knowledge." He taunted. "Believe me, I can tell you many things that would make your hair curl…" Ganondorf ran his fingers through her locks as he continued to laugh at her request.

Incredulous, Zelda slapped his hand away. "Stop that! I don't want to know everything." She crossed her arms and glared at him in the eye. Ganondorf, understanding that she was serious, stopped laughing but his smirk remained and his expression still mocked her apparent naivety.

"It's just this one thing, and I have to ask you because this is something that only you could answer!"

Ganondorf grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He gently kissed her fingers in an apology. "Alright. I'm intrigued." Ganondorf let go of her hand and fixed his golden gaze on her. "What could you possibly want to know that only I could answer?"

Zelda took a deep breath, wondering how she could put this delicately. She did not want Ganondorf to laugh at her again for being so...innocent.

"The Gerudo. A tribe made of entirely women, except for one man. Even with the vastly uneven ratio of men to women, the population always grew. How did this work?" She put it bluntly. There really wasn't another way to ask. A blush crept over Zelda's cheeks as Ganondorf's expression went from amused to almost alarmed.

"That is your question?" He asked. Zelda nodded her head, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"I know it's strange but like I said, there was never a decent explanation and I have always wanted to know…"

Ganondorf rolled his eyes and sighed. "It does not surprise me that your prudish society was ignorant to the inner workings of the Gerudo."

"Prudish?" Zelda repeated. "How so?"

He looked back down at her, this time a wolfish smile on his face. "All societies need men and women to create life. In my world, that was no different, but we went about it in a less _formal_ fashion than you did. I have no doubt that your society saw mine as indecent and barbaric, how we went about repopulating our people."

"Tell me!" She exclaimed. Being with Ganondorf made her feel bold and rebellious. She had always been so scared to ask her tutors the truth and she was sure that they would not tell her if she did. Here was somebody who was willing, and the truth promised to be scandalous. Ganondorf quickly planted a kiss on her lips.

"Fine then," he replied, not masking his amusement. "If you must know. The Gerudo women were wily and wild warriors, but they all knew that a part of their purpose was to continue on the Gerudo race. Since there was only one male and he could only do so much...they would find men elsewhere."

"What do you mean," Zelda questioned. Ganondorf laughed darkly and his eyes became distant as he sifted through memories.

"Sometimes the men would come willingly to the desert, and they would stay with their lovers for a spell. They always left for greener places after they realized that the desert was too brutal of a place for them, but their purpose was served. Very few stayed with the women that had enticed them to come to the desert, and the King usually treated those men harshly. They were outsiders. Intruders. They had no need other than to father future generations. It was out of love for my people that I, or any King, allowed them to stay. I cared for my people's' well-being and happiness. If they wanted their man to stay, and he was willing, I let it happen. That is how the Gerudo people thrived; by the help of willing males who had Gerudo lovers."

For a moment, Zelda was quiet as she processed this information, but soon another question rose to the surface.

"But the children born to the Gerudo women and human males...were they half Gerudo and half-human?"

"No, they were not," Ganondorf answered. She could not help but sense the pride in his voice as he spoke. "That was a part of the magic of my people. They were fully Gerudo. No part of them was anything else."

"And the children born from the King...from the one male? Were they all women also."

"Save for one. The male was always born from the other male. No foreign man ever beget a Gerudo male."

"I see. So it was also a part of your duty to…" Zelda faltered as she chose her next words. "Make the people prosper and multiply?"

Ganondorf laughed again and he gave her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. "To be truthful, Zelda, as the lone Gerudo male, the King of the Tribe, I never starved for attention."

"I see." Zelda quipped bluntly. The arm around her shoulders squeezed even tighter and Ganondorf leaned in ever closer to her.

"Does this make you jealous?" He muttered into her ear. His tone was not mocking or cruel, but rather his voice was soft and comforting, as if he feared that this knowledge would hurt her. Zelda thought for a moment, searching how she truly felt about this matter. And if she was honest with herself...

"Honestly? No. It doesn't bother me too much." Zelda answered truthfully, but she was eager to put his question behind her. She snuggled closer to Ganondorf and reached up to hold his hand that draped over her shoulder.

"With that being said," Zelda continued on. "The children born to the Gerudo women and the foreign men were always female. So that means that the next male child, the future Gerudo King was born from…"

"The current King," Ganondorf answered for her. "The lone male always fathered the male. The King could have been father to hundreds of girls but only ever fathered one male."

"How many daughters did you have? I am not naive enough to believe that you did not have any children."

"There was no true way of knowing how many daughters I had. It was never brought to my attention when one of my lovers bore me a child. They were all my daughters, as far as I was concerned. Even the ones born to the foreigners. All the Gerudo were my children, my blood, my responsibility."

Zelda balked at the word "lovers" but fought to keep budding her jealousy at bay. She did not want to make a liar out of herself. Those events took place more than a hundred years before she was born. Besides, it would be ludicrous to harbor jealousy of an entire society that had been decimated at the hands of her ancestors.

"Well what will happen now since you are the last Gerudo?"

Ganondorf sighed deeply, sadly, and for a moment Zelda felt that he was going to let her go and stand up but instead, he pulled her closer and drew her face to his. The kiss was long and deep and when they finally pulled apart, Zelda had nearly forgotten what they had been talking about in the first place.

"That is a problem that I will be more than eager to solve," Ganondorf murmured when he ended the kiss. "You and I will rebuild the race together."

"Only if the Hero defeats you." Zelda argued, though her conviction did not quite reach her words. "Otherwise that won't be possible." Zelda reluctantly pulled herself away from him and sat up. She turned her face to the sky and drank in the sunlight, thinking of a way to change the topic. "Speaking of which, the air seems clearer by the day, doesn't it?"

Ganondorf's mood instantly darkened. "Indeed. That would be the work of your friend Midna and that boy who bears the Triforce of Courage. My sources say that they're close to the Lanayru Province…"

That was close. Close to Hyrule Castle and the Town...and close to her. Zelda's heart quickened ever so slightly. She could be free of the Twilight soon.

"Is that why you've been troubled these past few days," Zelda questioned, trying to distract herself from the rising conflict she could feel boiling inside of her at the mention of the Hero and Midna. It was true that Ganondorf had been sullen lately, seemingly lost in his own storm of thoughts and troubles, much like he had been when they first encountered each other. This afternoon had been the first time in a week or so that his spirits had lifted and their conversations flowed well.

"Yes," he answered gruffly. "But I will not be troubled for long. Lanayru Province will prove difficult to liberate. They will be stopped." The harshness in his voice told Zelda that he did not care to speak of the Hero any longer. She could not help but wonder if his anger was rooted in fear of an ultimate failure. The Hero always managed to defeat him in the past. Ganondorf had every right to believe that this time would be no different. There was always a risk that his plans would be thwarted and the Hero would rise in victory.

And then there was the matter of their relationship. It was more than obvious that Ganondorf wished to defeat the Hero, and still keep Zelda at his side. This was a new twist in their ancient, unending story.

"What is your endgame, Ganondorf?" Zelda inquired. "Would you even tell me?"

"I will. My endgame includes you." At this, he reached up and stroked her jaw with his thumb. Golden eyes burned into her blue ones. "Hyrule will be under my control. You and I...we will rule together."

"And what of Zant?" Zelda asked weakly, trying to lighten the conversation away from her role in Ganondorf's future.

"He can be our pet," Ganondorf grinned devilishly. Zelda could not help the laugh that escaped her. He kissed her again, but Zelda withdrew from almost as soon as his lips touched hers. He was trying to distract her and she knew it.

""But what if you lose? You can't ignore the fact that I might not want you to steal my throne and defeat the Hero of Old. Perhaps I still want him to defeat you?"

"That will not happen. Especially now since our powers are coming together. Power and Wisdom are colliding. Desires will change. Try to fight it, Zelda. I know that you have been resisting this your destiny since the moment we met. You will fail. When the Hero falls, Courage will finally be mine. And Wisdom…" His hand ceased caressing her skin and traveled down to her left hand, ungloved and placed in her lap. Ganondorf picked it up and began to stroke the relic buried beneath her smooth skin.

"The Triforce, whole and unbroken should have been mine from the beginning. Power suits me. Power chose me. Courage is still so far from my grasp, but this...Wisdom…"

Silence washed over them. Ganondorf raised Zelda's hand closer to his face. The lust that gleamed in his eyes was undeniable. Ganondorf wanted her Triforce as much as he wanted her.

"I could take this from you anytime," Ganondorf warned with his voice whispering low and seductive. "Or maybe you will just give it to me. You can't resist me, Princess." He stroked his fingers over the golden triangles. Zelda's heart thudded ever faster. Her eyes wandered over to the hand that stroked her own. There, gleaming in the sunlight were three golden triangles to match her own, brilliantly contrasting against his tan skin.

The Triforce of Power.

She could hardly believe the next words that dared leave her mouth.

"No. Maybe I will take yours. Power is too dangerous for you."

"I think not. In time, you will change your mind. Your Triforce will be mine before long." Ganondorf promised with a dark edge to his words. Again, the couple fell silent. Zelda could not find the words to say. How could she argue against his bull-headed determination that she would willingly succumb everything to him? The conversation did not go to a place where she felt comfortable.

So she forced it out of her mind and sat in contemplative silence, her mind grasping to think of anything other than Ganondorf predicting her eventual downfall.

Courage. What was the Hero up to now? Zelda had yet to meet him in his human form. She did not even know his name. The historians knew nothing of the Hero of Time, except for his name. Link. It was such an unusual name. Surely the old Hero and the new did not share the same name. She had only been named after her grandmother because of the Triforce of Wisdom being reborn again in her. It was not likely that the wolf-boy would also be named Link. Fate would have a sense of humor if he did share the name with the previous owner of Courage.

"What was he like, the Hero of Time?"

At this, Ganondorf laughed, a short barking laugh that had no mirth. "You are asking me to describe my enemy, the scrawny boy that defeated my plans and killed me a century ago?

"Yes." Zelda answered simply. She did not care to spare Ganondorf's feelings at the moment. He never cared to spare hers. "I have always wanted to know more about him. History books have never given me much. They say that he disappeared from the public eye shortly after Hyrule was restored."

"Fine then, if you're so curious. I do have to say that I enjoyed your other question far more." For a moment, Ganondorf was quiet. He let go of Zelda and leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand as he delved into the past.

"He was small for a man. Young. Quiet, from what I could see. He had a ferocity in his eyes that burned. A hatred for me that was evident, fueled by rage in our final battle together. Still, the boy was not some dashing hero from your fantasies."

Zelda rolled her eyes and huffed angrily. "I never said that he was in my fantasies. Is there more?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "I cannot tell you any more than that. I only saw him for brief moments, and we were caught in a battle to the death for our longest encounter." Ganondorf let his words fall into silence and Zelda watched as his eyes grew distant. He was thinking about his death.

Zelda looked away, feeling as though she were intruding on something private. Still, she could not mask her disappointment. The Hero of Time was to remain an elusive mystery to her. But there was another legend that she could ask about…

Zelda reached out and placed her hand in Ganondorf's knee, drawing him back to the present. "What about _her_? What about the Zelda before me? Can you tell me anything about her?"

Golden eyes looked down at her, taking her hand in his. "You're curious about that Zelda. You always have been." It was not a question. "What is she to you?"

"My grandmother," Zelda answered. "Though twice removed. Since we both share the Triforce of Wisdom, I've felt incredibly connected with her. And unlike with the Hero, there is an abundance of information about her and the life she lived and the kind of woman that she was."

"I know." He growled, his voice suddenly bitter. "I also remember discovering that her sons were responsible for the destruction of my people."

"That was not her though!" Zelda argued hotly. "Zelda, my grandmother, was good. I know that she was, and now I have somebody who knew her firsthand. Please, you spent more time with her than with the Hero. What can you tell me of her?"

Ganondorf ran his fingers through his red locks. Zelda felt that he was agitated, talking about his past enemies, but she did not care at the moment. He did not care when she felt uncomfortable when they talked of their future. "Your Zelda was thin and small and frail, but she was bold and brave and strong. She fought against me with every fiber of her being and she won. That girl even joined a band of warriors to outsmart me and protect her identity. So she was clever. And kind, I suppose. I saw her pity for my evil plight written all over her face. I hated her for it."

As Ganondorf fell silent, Zelda had the feeling that this conversation was over. It was fruitless. She already knew all of those things about her Grandmother but she had hoped that there might be more...

An arm wrapped around her waist and she was pulled closer to Ganondorf, practically sitting on his lap. A voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"What do the history books say of me?"

That was a question she did not want to answer. Even so, she leaned into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. "You read them, didn't you? Why do you ask me if you already know the answer?"

He in turn rested his head on hers. "I want to hear it from your lips. What do you know of me?" His voice was weary as he asked this last question. Zelda took in a steadying breath. There were a thousand tales written of Ganondorf's treacherous deeds against Hyrule. How could she even pick just one?

"They say..." she began hesitantly. "They say that you were a plague on Hyrule. A menace to the Royal family. A scourge to all that is good in this world. An enemy of the goddesses. They say that you were undoubtedly the most evil being that ever walked the face of this earth."

Ganondorf did not reply. He made no reaction to her damning words. For half a moment, Zelda feared that she had offended him, that perhaps all of the stories she had heard of him were just that: stories. "Were they wrong? Was it all just wild exaggeration?"

"No." Ganondorf's somber reply extinguished her foolish hope. "They were not wrong about me. History was right to portray me as an evil tyrant. That is exactly the man I was."

"What about the man you are now?" Zelda ran her fingers over his chest, her hand grazing over the glowing wound that had been given to him by the Sages decades ago, before he had been banished to Twilight. Perhaps, death had changed him?

Ganondorf spoke, his chest reverberating beneath her hand as he did. "I feel darker. Heavier. There is a weight pressing on my soul that was not there before. The fire that raged inside me a hundred years ago is now just smoldering revenge. Perhaps my motives have changed, my reasons for taking Hyrule have deepened beyond a need for power but...I am still Ganondorf."

It was a sobering reminder of the precarious situation that she had willingly walked into; that Ganondorf was not safe, no matter how tender and loving he could seem. Zelda could blind her eyes from the truth as best as she could, but the truth would be there still, waiting for her to see.

But was it truly all her own choice? Didn't she fight tooth and nail against his advances at first? Didn't she resist the field when he first offered? Zelda eventually conceded that she needed this field to survive. Brief respite from the Twilight was the only thing keeping her and Ganondorf alive. If he had honestly wanted to keep them from dying in the Twilight, why would he have made a place for them to share? If they were normal enemies, why would he come when she was there? Or wouldn't he make a place all her own so that he wouldn't be bothered by her? Even in the past, didn't he keep the old Zelda locked in a crystal prison in his lair? Her ancestor was allowed to live but was still isolated from her captor.

It was only after their first meeting, when Zelda was dragged half-dead to her throne room, that she was allowed the privilege of coming to Ganondorf's field. Maybe he had planned to allow her to go from the start, knowing that she needed to be kept alive and needed a place of sunlight, but still...why would he come with her?

It was never her choice to come to the field. Rather, it was a necessity created by Ganondorf and he seemed more than eager to become her one companion while she sought refuge in his creation.

"Zelda, what is going through that mind of yours? You're always so somber, thinking your great, wise thoughts...will you share with me?" Ganondorf broke into her musings, his mind still on the conversation that Zelda had left unfinished.

"You are still wicked, aren't you?" Zelda accused with a sharp voice. She felt a ferocious need to know the truth, to ask the question she should have asked since the beginning.

"Have you not been paying attention?" Ganondorf mocked. Zelda ignored him and continued on.

"I was manipulated into coming here and meeting you. This was your plan from the beginning, from the moment you saw me in the throne room. You tricked me!"

"I won't deny it." Ganondorf admitted dryly. " I'm shocked that it took you, the bearer of Wisdom, so long to realize that you'd been a pawn in my plan."

"Why, though?" Zelda questioned. She sat up straighter and turned to look him in the eye. "What made you do this? You've held me captive so many times before, so my question is, and should have been my question from the very start...why is this time different?"

He grew serious. His brow was furrowed ever deeper and he fixed her with an intense gaze. "As I've said before, when I saw you for the first time, meeting the newest incarnation of the bearer of Wisdom, I knew that you were not like the ones that came before you," Ganondorf started. "It was the first time that I did not see Wisdom as my enemy. It was because of your reaction to me that I saw you in a different light. You were weakened and worn, nearly dead, but when you looked at me and realized who I was, you awakened. I could see your strength returning, the fire of your wrath igniting. The Twilight melted away from you and I saw the bold leader shining before me. Never before have I seen someone so prostrate rise in the face of their enemy. You rose before me like a phoenix from the ashes. I was stunned, captivated by this warrior woman I saw. I knew then that I had finally found my equal. I knew then that you had to be mine. I had to see you, speak to you when you were more alive and in a safe place away from the Twilight and that damned fool, Zant and his beasts. I wanted to see for myself exactly who this new Zelda was and now that I see you, now that I know you…"

Ganondorf reached up and his fingers gently took hold of Zelda's face. He gazed into her eyes, his expression all at once sincere and somber. In turn, she placed her hands over his and met his gaze with her own, her heart fluttering nervously.

"Truth be told, you Zelda's are all strong, resilient woman and have all walked a difficult path but you...I see you as the culmination of every Zelda that has lived before you, and they all pale in comparison. You are the best of them. I am enraptured by your strength, your wisdom, your beauty. Your very soul has ensnared mine. All the others that came before you, every Zelda...every woman, they are nothing. You are everything. That is why this time is different. Power and Wisdom have finally come together and I do not think that our destinies will ever be the same."

Zelda could not find the voice to reply. Ganondorf did not ask her for an answer. Instead he opened his arms in a welcome embrace, and Zelda fell into his chest, exhausted and comforted all at once in a confusing whirl of emotion.

As beautiful as it was to hear that she outshone every other woman, every other Zelda that came before her, she could not fully accept this declaration. Even with all of his pretty words, Zelda could not forget that this man was dangerous. He had Hyrule in his cruel grasp and she was still his prisoner. Yet, she remained in the field. His arms were still warmly wrapped around her body. She did not leave to retreat to the darkness and protect her heart. Zelda wanted to stay with him a while longer before the spell broke. This field was their fantasy and Zelda could almost believe that Ganondorf was a mysterious suitor hailing from his desert kingdom. There was no Twilight. The Gerudo tribe was not lost. Zant did not exist. Even the Hero and his impish companion were a faraway dream. Yes, Zelda wished to be here, tangled up in her surreal world until the sun fell and she was forced to leave the warmth of Ganondorf's embrace to the cold castle beyond.

He did not lie. The inescapable pull between Wisdom and Power had reached a breaking point in the two of them. How could Zelda turn away from her destiny now? Ganondorf had warned her that the desires of her heart would change. Imagining herself, Queen of Hyrule and Ganondorf as King...it brought her fear as much as it did interest…

Zelda was not foolish enough to believe that she would cause him to turn from his wicked ways and become a dashing hero, but if Power and Wisdom worked together as one, could that balance be enough to bring about an era of peace and prosperity under their rule?

As she leaned back into his chest, Zelda already knew the answer to her musings. Their rule together would never be as she dreamed. It would eventually turn into her nightmare. The more realistic question was this; was she willing to throw everything away for this man that she desired?

* * *

Blue skies gave way to dusky hues of orange and red before turning to inky blackness dotted with brilliant glowing stars. When the crescent moon rose high in the night sky, Zelda took her leave of Ganondorf and returned to the castle. He stayed behind. The man never followed her back to the castle, or escorted her to the wall of Twilight. In a show of respect for her wishes, Ganondorf always allowed Zelda to leave alone.

So alone she went back to her home. Zelda wandered through the empty hallways, nodding respectfully to the passing spirits of her former subjects. Her guilt over the fate of these ghosts had faded as the months went by. No longer were they reminders of her choice to leave Hyrule in the hands of an oppressive tyrant. They had become companions, of a sort, and they made her time in the Twilight a little more bearable. Zant and his Twilight beasts had not been seen since she had been in the company of Ganondorf. She had a suspicious feeling that Ganondorf had picked up on her distaste for the Twili and had banned them from seeing her. However, whenever Zelda needed anything, such as food or a bath, her necessities would mysteriously appear after she had made her requests known to Ganondorf.

Such as made her way to the washroom, just a few doors down from her old room where she had been staying for the last few weeks. The tower prison was oddly unfitting now, since she was not truly a prisoner any longer. Ganondorf had allowed her to return to her old room, just as long as she did not cause any mischief. As if she could. As if she would…

She had made a casual mention to Ganondorf that she was in need of a bath, so Zelda knew that once she opened the door to the washroom, there would be a tub of warm water and a slowly burning fire waiting for her. It was uncomfortable to bathe in the Twilight, as the water quickly turned cool and the fire did little to keep the chill from the air, but Zelda suffered through the tepid baths as best she could. Besides, she needed to clear her mind tonight before falling asleep.

Zelda piled her hair on top of her head and slipped into the tub. Once in, she pulled her knees to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. Here she sat for a long while, thinking of all the things that she had discussed with Ganondorf that day. It was overwhelming to say the least, that she was the incarnation of Zelda that Ganondorf would find different, that she was the one he would find enticing and would fiercely pursue. It was almost comforting to know that there was a reason that he had forced her to come to the field. If she had known his true intentions from the beginning, she never would have stepped into that field. Knowing what he felt for her now made no difference. That knowledge did not worry her as it should have. She tried to imagine herself, going back in time and trying to convince herself to never come to the field or to never speak to Ganondorf while in the field.

"If I could go back in time, what would I say to myself to stop me from going to the field and becoming involved with Ganondorf?" She asked herself. Would she change the past so that her future with Ganondorf would be different? Zelda closed her eyes to picture it clearly, but all she saw was herself standing in the tower prison, watching the older version of herself going to the field and her staying silent. Letting herself go. Instead of being afraid of this realization, Zelda smiled and shook her head. She learned long ago that thinking of changing the past would do nothing to help with the present. Things happened the way that they happened and it was all anyone could do to survive the twists and turns that life brought.

Zelda stepped out of the tub and the cold air enveloped her. She went to the meager fire to dry off, knowing that there would not be much warmth. Her thoughts changed to the topic of the Gerudo women and their wild ways. Zelda pulled a warm, thick robe around her body and she made her way to the door. Her thoughts were distracted and far away as she stepped into the corridor and made the short walk from her room.

She did not even see him. She was so lost in her own head.

"Zelda?..."

Her blood ran ice cold and Zelda stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought that it would burst through her chest.

His voice in the Twilight...she had not heard it since they first met in the throne room. That was when they had been enemies. Now they were together in the Twilight, no longer enemies. Zelda whipped her head around and saw him standing there in the dusk, his face a mask of confusion and surprise but his golden eyes were ignited with a blazing fire.

"Zelda…" He spoke again, though this time it was not a question. Out of instinct, Zelda did not reply but rather turned and ran for her room, fleeing like a scared deer. She could hear him calling her name, begging her to wait.

She could not wait. She had to run from him. Nothing good would come from seeing him here. She could betray her people, her kingdom, her goddesses in the field, but she would not do it in the Twilight.

Her fingers grasped the cold metal of the door handle and she pushed the door open to her room. Zelda tumbled inside and had every intention of turning around and slamming the door in his face but to no avail.

She turned and slammed into his broad chest. Immediately, two strong arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her against him. There would not be an easy way to escape him.

Did she even want to?

Yes! She did! She had to! Zelda pushed against him with all of her might.

"What are you doing here?! I told you not to see me!" Zelda cried as she struggled to release herself from his grip.

"Zelda, please calm yourself!" Ganondorf pleaded, his voice husky and low. "I didn't meant to find you, I promise."

Zelda stopped pushing against him and looked up into his face. "Are you lying?" She hissed, trying her best to put up a defense against him, but the way he was holding her and how his eyes pierced into her very soul…

It was not easy to pretend that she did not want to see him. Whatever she had been feeling must have shown in her expression; the fear, conflict, and desire. Ganondorf must have seen it written all over her face. He loosened his grip on her, holding her close but gently enough to where she could push away if she chose to. Ganondorf leaned into her, his breath warming the chilly air between them.

"Say the words and I will let you go," was his hoarse whisper. "Say the words and mean them with all of your being. Do this, and I will go and never come to you again in the Twilight."

Zelda was silent. The words were in her mouth, threatening to spill from her lips but they would not come. Why wouldn't they come? Her mind was screaming for her to say no, but her heart refused to listen. With his arms so tight around her body and his mouth so close to hers, how could she want anything else in this moment but him?

He took her silence as an answer. In the breath of a second, his lips caught hers and Zelda conceded without another thought. This kiss was different from any before. It had the same hunger as their first, but the passion behind the kiss was a blazing wildfire where an ember had been before. It was all-consuming. Living had meant nothing before this moment. It was all a weak shadow until they met here in the Twilight. Now, everything was bright and burning and real. Every thought, every emotion, every feeling melted away as Zelda gave into the inferno. All that was left was his skin against hers.


	7. This Moment in Time

**If you're reading the latest chapter of Fields of Gold, it means that you weren't freaked out by the events of the last chapter and are still giving my story a chance! Yay! I know that the last chapter took an interesting turn and I honestly never, in all the years that I've been thinking of this story, intended for that to happen but I guess I was feeling a little dangerous. Plus, I felt like taking a risk was the best course of action for this story instead of playing it safe. For the three+ years that I've been working on this, I've let Fields of Gold control me instead of me controlling it. There are some elements of this story that drive me insane and I am desperate to go back and fix. So with this situation, I took control of the plot and did what I felt was right for it. ANYWAYS, I also understand that the nature of their relationship is not all sunshine and rainbows. It's dark and a little twisted, and I feel as though it's a more intense take on what a relationship between Z and G would look like. It's fun to read about a dark romance every so often, but I don't advise pursing one IRL. Sorry for my rambling. Thanks to all who have given my story a chance and enjoyed what I've written. Happy reading!**

* * *

Awake. Alone. Numb.

Soft blankets enveloped her skin as she lay still on her bed. Zelda stared blankly out of the tall, wide windows, looking but seeing nothing. She had been awake as the Twilight sky cycled from purple to brown, then back to purple. In this unnatural world, it could only mean that she had been up all night while Ganondorf slept next to her. The silent room had been filled with the sound of his steady breathing.

In and out. Relaxed. Untroubled.

A peaceful sleep enjoyed by her companion while she endured restless hours of tossing and turning, though she dared not disturb him. Zelda could hardly stand to turn over and see him lying there in her bed without a care in the world. Her stomach clenched when he made any movement. She did not want him to wake. She did not want to face him after what happened. But there he lay, as if he belonged, and she had willingly let him come. Now she wanted him out.

So when the sound of frantic knocking on her door stirred the sleeping giant, Zelda froze and pretended to be in a sound slumber. The weight of the bed shifted drastically as Ganondorf stood up and Zelda's tense body relaxed, relieved that he was not next to her anymore. Yet there was an emptiness that crept into her heart as Ganondorf stomped across the room. Part of her wished for him to come back and nearly regretted not enjoying his presence more.

Snap! Zelda's door was yanked open with all the force of an angry man whose rest with his lover had been interrupted.

"What?" He growled at the poor offender. Zelda, still feigning sleep, imagined a cowering creature standing before the fuming King of Evil. Words whispered in a language that she could not understand passed between the two.

"What!" Ganondorf barked again, though this time it was not an irritated question. It was an exclamation. Zelda could hear disbelief in his voice. Something was wrong. Cautiously, Zelda allowed her eyes to open ever so slightly. In the flurry of activity that followed as Ganondorf frantically pulled on his discarded shirt and pieces of armor, Zelda watched and wondered what on earth happened. What news could the Twilight being have possibly brought that sent Ganondorf into such a frenzy? As curious as she might have been, Zelda refused to move an inch. Once fully dressed, Ganondorf turned around and Zelda squeezed her eyes shut even tighter than they had been before.

His footsteps moved closer to where she was lying. Zelda would have willed her lungs to stop breathing air in an effort to seem as lifeless as possible. He stopped right beside her. His presence was powerful, agitated, and overwhelming to her frayed nerves. She heard him sigh deeply, sadly, and Zelda wanted to embrace him as much as she wanted the bed to swallow her whole.

Lips softly kissed her cheeks and Zelda fought the urge to flinch. Warm breath lingered on her skin and he spoke gently into her ear.

"You're too old to play pretend, Zelda."

With that, Ganondorf turned around and Zelda listened intently to his retreating footsteps, her heart pounding madly inside her chest. Of course he would not be fooled by her play-acting. Ganondorf would see right through her weak attempt. He always could. Now it was obvious to him that she was trying to avoid him and the situation. His sad sigh revealed his feelings about her antics.

Yet as soon as the latch clicked on the door, Zelda shot up in the bed. Her body felt weak from the sudden release of the pent up tension she had been holding for hours on end. She took in a deep breath and let out an exhale that was somewhere between a laugh and cry. Whatever Ganondorf's feelings were at the moment, she could not care. She could not let herself care about them anymore. Having too much concern for his feelings was exactly what got her into this mess in the first place.

At first, the regret was worlds away. The moments between them had been tender and warm and...unforgettable. Zelda allowed herself to bask in his attention and affection, for once untroubled and unconcerned about anything but the man who held her close, but as soon as Ganondorf had turned over and peacefully drifted into sleep, realization hit Zelda like a cold bucket of water.

" _What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?"_ Those four words ran rampant through her head, weaving in and out of the thousand other thoughts that raced through her mind as Ganondorf slept and time crept slowly onward. It was not so much the act itself that ripped through her conscience like sharp claws through flesh. Rather it was with who she had chosen to be with and the extreme consequences that she was facing. Zelda had already compromised far too much by balancing on the fine line of keeping her distance and embracing her desires . Who was she fooling by thinking that she could maintain that balance?

It was obvious now that she sealed her fate the moment that she gave into his advances. Now after what they had done, what else was she willing to compromise? Zelda was playing a dangerous game with Ganondorf, and she was losing miserably. That first kiss, rain-soaked and passionate, was her downfall and his triumph. He was getting every single thing that he wanted; Hyrule, the power and prestige, revenge on the Hylians, her love...and Zelda was getting _nothing_.

It was shameful that it had taken her going this far to force her to come to her senses. The weak justifications and blatant disregard for the truth of the matter were now exposed in the cold glow of Twilight. All of the doubts and concerns and misgivings that she had pushed down for her own selfish reasons were now disturbingly clear. What should have been undeniable in the first place was now impossible to turn a blind eye to. In all of the confusing whirl of emotions and thoughts, one truth stood out like a beacon.

"This is wrong." Zelda allowed herself to whisper those words, damning herself in the oppressive stillness of her Twilight-shrouded room. It had been wrong from the beginning and she knew it, denied it, fought it, and drowned in her delusions as she dove headfirst into the enticing waters of this forbidden relationship.

But she had not done it alone. Ganondorf had practically pushed her from the safety of the shore and into the fray. Zelda came to him as a frightened, weakened victim and she was entirely vulnerable. Zelda found herself gripping the covers, her knuckles white and hands shaking whenever she thought of it. Anger budded deep within her. It was unforgivable how he had snatched her up in her weakest moments and manipulated her thoughts and persuaded her to reconsider her desires and dreams.

Zelda recalled standing in front of the mirror in that very room, biting her nails and fretting like a child over what she wanted from her life. Of course now it was a simple solution to what seemed like a question without an answer: what did she want? Zelda wanted her freedom. She wanted her Kingdom to be liberated. She wanted her Throne restored. It had taken but one tender moment with Ganondorf to topple everything she had ever believed and it had taken one intimate encounter for her to realize that she had been tricked into believing so.

Ganondorf had seen her, wanted her, and found an opportunity to strike. Like a snake. But a snake could not help but attack, could it? Ganondorf could not help himself when he saw her for the first time, and she in turn was powerless to the inexplicable draw to her enemy. Their strange connection to one another, Power to Wisdom and Wisdom to Power, was exploited by the both of them; it was Ganondorf's persuasion and Zelda's excuse. Her anger, as justified as it was, was not directed solely at Ganondorf.

Still, there was no doubt in Zelda's mind that under different circumstances, they would be soulmates. But there was far too much corruption, too much bloodshed history for them to ever be anything but enemies. Ganondorf was the Gerudo King, the King of Evil, and she was the Princess of Hyrule. As much as they were pulled to one another, it could never be. Not even for a breath of a moment in the endless passage of time. That was always the truth, but for the first time, Zelda forced herself to accept it.

She knew what the next step was, and as much as she regretted ever becoming close to Ganondorf, it did not change the fact that there was a reason behind their coming together.

And breaking this connection would be nothing less than heart-wrenching.

The hours ticked by as Zelda sat on the bed, gathering the courage to stand up and collect the discarded robe from the floor. She had a plan in mind. It was just a matter of getting out of her bed and doing it. Her body was heavy. Her mind was weary. Zelda wanted nothing more than to lay back down and try to make up for the entire cycle of Twilight that she had been awake, but that was not an option. Her resolve to do what she planned next would surely weaken if she gave into sleep now.

Eventually, Zelda swung her bare legs over the edge of the bed and her feet touched the cool wooden floor. She picked up the robe and slipped it on over her skin, though Zelda realized that she did not sense the chill that Twilight normally held. That was unusual for the Twilight. In fact, she had felt comfortable and warm all morning. It was not until now that she noticed.

There was something happening. Twilight was changing. Instinct told Zelda that Twilight was fighting back against some invasive force. Zelda immediately thought of the Hero and Midna. Was the news that sent Ganondorf running from her room have something to do with those two? Suddenly, her Triforce began to burn. There was a rush of cold air and then...warmth.

Zelda ran to the window and searched the sky for any signs of normalcy. The moment that she had been waiting for while standing at her vigil in the tower was finally happening. She could feel it. The change was electrifying, charging the air with anticipation. Slowly and all at once, Twilight hues of dreary purple faded away to the gray, rainy sky of Hyrule.

They had done it! Midna and the Hero had restored Hyrule to its wonderful, glorious normalcy. Zelda hastily pushed her window open to drink in the sudden newness of the day. From what she could tell, it was late in the afternoon and a few rain drops fell from the dreary air was humid from the start of a summer rain, a stark contrast to the chilly dusk that had been there seconds before.

Screams of panic and excitement sounded from Castle Town as citizens of Hyrule were restored from their ghostly selves. Zelda wondered about the spirits that had been trapped inside the castle itself. Were they trying to escape, to find their loved ones, or were they being taken prisoner by the Twilight beings? Now that the Twilight was gone, what would happen to Zant and all of his people? They could not survive in the sunlight!

All around Zelda, the world was in an uproar but she remained stoic and grim. She should have felt more excitement for this moment, but whatever joy bubbled inside her was shrouded with an ominous foreboding. She would be joyful once Hyrule was fully liberated. For now, she had to focus on her task, and this new development would only make it harder. And what would _his_ reaction to this be? Zelda would find out soon enough. Ganondorf would be waiting for her in the field, and she had no choice but to face him there.

With increasing dread, Zelda pulled herself away from the window and slowly made her way to the wardrobe filled with shimmering, shining gowns. She peeled back the heavy doors with an equally heavy heart. A plain blue cloth dress immediately jumped out at her. Her dress that belonged to the field and disguised her from her true identity. It hung there innocently, as if asking why it was taking her so long to reach out and put it on.

"Sorry…" Zelda muttered as she pushed back the blue cotton dress, feeling ridiculous for apologizing to a garment. It had been nice to pretend for a spell that she was not Princess Zelda. That dress had been a willing accomplice in her rebellion and as much as she had loved the feeling of freedom it had brought her, it was time to say goodbye.

A familiar lavender and white gown greeted her as she sifted through the soft layers of fabrics. Bittersweet. It was refreshing and disheartening to see her old formal gown once more, after all that Zelda had been through. She was a different woman now. A different Princess than the one who had worn the dress last.

The brocade and silk lay heavily against her skin. It was familiar and foreign all at once. Zelda walked over to the mirror, carrying a brush and the golden crown that had once adorned her head. It took longer than she had thought as she worked her hair into the style that she had worn as a Princess. Her servants normally carried out this task for her, so her fingers worked with difficulty to brush back her locks and to put them into the long braid that trailed down her back. She did not rush or act with a sense of urgency. No doubt, he would be fuming, furious, and dangerous.

" _Let him calm down_ ," she thought to herself as she twisted her hair together to form the braid.

At last, Zelda was able to adorn herself with her crown. It sat on her head with a foreboding weight, once again reminding her of the duty and burdens that she should not have abandoned. As Zelda took in the image of the proud Princess in the mirror, she questioned what might have happened if she had never abandoned her true self for the facade of the girl in the field? Would she have stood strong in her values and beliefs if she had never traded her royal garments for the simple dress? The compromises that she made might have never happened if she had remained as Zelda the Princess.

Zelda sucked in a sudden breath, trying to steady herself against the onslaught of regret and fear. She nearly handed over everything to her enemy. Well...not quite, but she had come close. If she was not making the choice that she was making now, Hyrule could very well end up in Ganondorf's hands permanently. The Hero might have lost. And she might have been so far entangled in denial and desire that she would have stood by, unblinking and unmoving, and let the horror unfold.

But the dissipation of the Twilight was a victory, a mercy from the goddesses after so much pain and suffering and mistakes. Zelda absolutely had to take advantage of this opportunity to confront Ganondorf. As frightened and weak as she was, this victory gave her the courage that she needed: the courage and the upper hand…

Zelda pulled on her thick, black cloak and wrapped a shawl around her mouth. Not only did she want to protect herself from the increasing rain falling outside, she did not want the people to see her, to recognize her. As much as they needed her now...her goal was to confront Ganondorf. Perhaps then, she could escape and try to rejoin the Hero and Midna.

One last look in the mirror, one last whispered farewell to the Zelda of the Field, and Zelda the Princess of Hyrule turned around and left her lonely room to find her enemy.

* * *

Trapped. Zelda was trapped inside of her own castle and harshly reminded that she was in fact, still a prisoner of Ganondorf and Zant. All of those moments in the field had made her forget that she was anything else but a maiden secretly meeting with her lover. Her fantasy was enabled in the field, but now as the Twilight beings barred the massive wooden doors leading to the outside, she was back to being a prisoner under strict lockdown. They did not speak to her, but the message was certain.

You cannot leave.

The castle was completely empty, save for the Twilight beings cowering in all of the shadowy corners that they could find. Whatever citizens had been in the castle, they had fled to safety. Now only Zelda remained. The rain was now pouring ferociously from the sky. Zelda listened to the sound of the downpour through the closed doors as she stood in the darkened entryway. There was no other place but the Throne Room to find Ganondorf. It irked her that she could not go to the field to meet him one last time, but it was clear that was not meant to be.

Zelda pulled the cloak closer to her body. With the summer rain and humid air, she did not need the warmth that it provided but it felt safe. Secure. Zelda needed something to hide her shaking legs and trembling hands when she was confronting Ganondorf.

"Fine then." Zelda hissed at the Twilight beings and she promptly turned on her heel and marched herself back in the direction of the Throne Room. As she stalked through the corridors, Zelda took notice of how gloomy the castle still felt even after the disappearance of Twilight. An eerie quality hung in the silent halls and rooms. Though the world outside was slowly awakening, the castle was dead and still. No signs of life, no shouts or footsteps or passing people were to be found. It was just Zelda. The gray light from the storm outside drifted in through the windows, still more alive and vibrant than the dull Twilight, but this natural light shining into the empty castle was almost worse.

She trod the familiar path to the Throne Room, sinking further into dread with each step she took. When Zelda finally reached the doors that led to the room, she saw a hulking, armored figure standing guard. What to do now?

"Let me through," Zelda commanded quietly. No movement. Of course.

"Stand aside. I need to speak with Ganondorf," she demanded with more confidence. Still the giant armored figure made no movement and no sound. An angry huff escaped her lips and Zelda folded her arms beneath her cloak. It would be foolhardy to push pass this guardian. The stalemate continued for a few moments more and Zelda's anxiety grew. She marched right up the guardian until she could see herself reflected in the shiny armor.

"Please," Zelda whispered. "I am not a threat to Ganondorf. He and I are...we have an understanding you could say. You must stand aside!"

Nothing. Out of pure and utter frustration, Zelda pounded her fist against the armored chest. A hollow clanging resounded throughout the quiet space, but still, that thing did not move an inch.

"Damn!" Zelda cried out in pain and anger. She clutched her now throbbing hand and pulled it to her chest. It was surprising to even her, this sudden outburst of emotion. She could not remember the last time she had ever cursed out loud or lashed out at anyone or anything. Had it even happened before?

Then came a voice, hushed and trembling, wafting from the shadows behind her.

"Let her pass."

Zelda whirled around and her eyes searched the darkness. She had not heard that voice since the early days of her confinement.

"Zant?" Zelda called out, peeking into the shadows to catch a glimpse of the Usurper. All she could make out were the two eerily glowing yellow orbs staring back at her.

"Let her pass," Zant repeated. "My Master wants to speak with her."

With a great creaking and groaning of armor, Zelda turned back to the doors to see the giant guard stepping aside and clearing her way. Zelda immediately rushed to the door, but as soon as her hands touched the cool surface of the handles, she paused. One last time, Zelda looked back to she shadows where Zant still peeked at her from his hiding place.

"I won't be seeing you again, will I?" There was no response from him. The yellow eyes blinked twice and then they disappeared into the shadows.

She held a solemn sadness for the creature of Twilight, his insanity and desperation for power making him an easy target for the likes of Ganondorf. His place in the story would not last long, she felt. Zelda's divine clarity was finally returning with the sunlight. Zant's fate would come to an end before the fight for Hyrule came to a conclusion. Whether Ganondorf or the Hero was the victor, Zant would have no part in the outcome. Zelda tore her eyes away from the spot where Zant had been and she pushed the door open. The Throne Room was close. Ganondorf was close.

The room was silent, save for the falling rain and growling thunder. Her footsteps bounced off the marble ceiling as she crept along the thick, blue carpet runner that led to the grand steps and an empty throne. The man she sought was not sitting in her seat, as she expected. Instead he was standing at one of the impossibly tall windows carved from the marble wall, watching the sky. Ganondorf did not turn at the sound of her footsteps, but Zelda could tell by the way he straightened his back, he knew she was there. They remained silent until Zelda was standing directly behind him. Fear gripped her. Zelda's mouth refused to form words. Instead, she stood there like a statue, waiting for him to break the silence. A few moments passed as they both listened to stormy world outside. Finally, Ganondorf spoke. Zelda's knees threatened to give way.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Ganondorf questioned, his low voice barely above a whisper and still not looking at her.

"No," Zelda replied, her voice catching, already thick with nerves. "Truly, I did not. Is this why you've locked me in the castle? You believe that this is my doing?"

At her answer, Ganondorf whirled around. His golden eyes were aglow with smoldering fury. Zelda took a step back, fearing that she had come to him too soon and that he was still dangerously angry.

"You cannot deny that you wanted this," he accused harshly.

"Can you blame me?" Zelda asked him, her voice quiet and timid. Seeing her obvious fear, Ganondorf visibly relaxed. The tension eased out of his stance. His eyes lost their burning glow and grew soft.

"I suppose not." Ganondorf grumbled. Silence again. Zelda wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as she could, so she ventured one more question.

"What will you do now?"

Ganondorf ran his fingers through his hair. Zelda had never seen him so agitated. He had always been so cool and collected in every encounter she had seen him in.

"Everyone is confined to the castle until Zant returns. Even the two of us," Ganondorf answered abruptly.

"Zant?" Zelda questioned. "What is he supposed to do?"

"The Hero and that damned Midna have defeated all the safeguards that were put in place," Ganondorf growled through clenched teeth. "My only choice now is to send Zant to delay them while I put more obstacles in their way."

Zelda could not help but laugh. "Do you honestly think that Zant can do anything-"

"DO NOT QUESTION ME!" Ganondorf roared, his voice echoing through the vast, empty room. He stepped closer to Zelda, looming over her. His eyes again burned dangerously. She hastily stepped back from him, her heart beating inside of her chest. Never before had he directed his anger at her. True terror swept through her and she thought of turning around and running from the throne room. "Do you think I am a fool?! Of course I don't believe he can stop them permanently but there is one thing he can do, and I will do everything in my power to subdue my enemy!"

Zelda could only stand there with her mouth pulled into a grim line, hands shaking from anger and not fear. She felt betrayed. How could he so easily turn on her? Did he not realize that this outburst made her tortuous task seem even the slightest bit easier? She wanted to scream at him, curse him for turning his rage on her after all they had been through, to curse him for all he had done to her since the day Twilight came.

He must have taken her silence as a sign of hurt, for Ganondorf closed his eyes and sighed with the same heaviness earlier in the day, when he had left her in the room.

"I'm sorry Zelda," Ganondorf admitted. He opened his eyes and Zelda saw the Ganondorf that she had fallen for return; deep, smooth voice, a tortured soul that needed love, but hers only, and Zelda felt her foolish heart melt. But it was a farce, only half of the man called Ganondorf and the other half readily ignored. Zelda still said nothing as she wrestled with her feelings of desire and disgust, to fight or flee, to embrace him or hold fast to her choice to cut him out. It was pure insanity how simple it was for him to twist her heart into knots. Ganondorf continued on.

"You must bear with me. I am worn thin today. I look defeat in the eyes once more and I can hardly stand it. I believe that this time, I can stop him...I can be the victor but this setback is devastating and I do not like my plans to be thwarted." Ganondorf gazed down at her, a familiar burn in his eyes. The air thickened and Ganondorf closed the space between them.

"Especially when so much is at stake…" he spoke softly as he brought his fingers to graze the skin of her cheek. Zelda's stomach lurched as his skin made contact with hers.

"Losing Hyrule means losing you, and I cannot let that happen." His other hand began to wind around her waist, drawing her close to him. Ganondorf was reeling her in again, distracting her from the truth, seducing her, pulling her to the darkest depths of her desires for him. As much as she hated it, Zelda could not deny her true feelings for the man. He was irresistible, but...

"No." Zelda commanded, her voice strong and clear. She jerked her face away from Ganondorf's fingers. Zelda pushed against his chest, breaking herself free of his grip. As she backed away from him, Ganondorf raised his brows in surprise.

"What are you doing, you little fool?" He asked, reaching out to bring her back, but Zelda crossed her arms and planted her feet firmly on the ground.

"You can't touch me again." Zelda sounded far bolder than she felt. She feared him raging at her again. She was frightened that he might hurt her. But taking control of her life and her role in this story was worth the fight.

"Why?" Ganondorf let his hands fall limply at his sides. He did not yell or shout. His voice remained even and calm, but Zelda could see it written all over his face; confusion. She watched his head tilt to the side like he was trying to figure out if she was joking or serious.

"This has to end. Immediately," Zelda refused to let her resolve crumble. Even though it crushed her heart to see that her words hurt him, she fought to keep her footing. "I only sought you out to tell you that…"

"That is ridiculous," Ganondorf scoffed angrily. "You don't mean that." He seemed to shake off his brief sadness and Ganondorf swiped at her again. His fingers barely grazed her cloak as she jumped just out of his reach.

"No, I said _don't_ touch me! I mean this," Zelda argued, his doubt only increasing her certainty. Zelda once again took a firm stance away from him and locked her blue eyes onto his golden ones, fixing him with a serious gaze. "I know that my words hold no weight because I've made such statements before but this time is different. I will not be seeing you again. Not here. Not in the field. Not ever. Not until the Hero has defeated you, or until he is defeated. You and I...we cannot be."

Zelda tried to sound firm and unrelenting, but her voice sounded so insignificant inside of that endless room. Ganondorf crossed his arms over his chest and he glared down at her, all judgement and anger.

"How can you change your mind so suddenly?" He demanded. "What did I do to make you turn your back on me?"

"What did you do?" Zelda could hardly believe that he could be so blind! She shook her head angrily and for a moment, she could not even speak for her throat was closed so tight with a sudden surge of anger. "Ganondorf, you...you took advantage of me! How dare you even question your actions! How dare you prey on me when I was weak and worn and desperate. You nearly made me believe that I wanted a different destiny, that Hyrule should belong to you and I be at your side. You made me doubt everything I had ever believed in and wanted and dreamed. I was not myself when I was with you. I even dressed differently when I came to see you because I knew that the girl in a royal gown would never fall for you or stand for anything _you_ wanted."

"But you still came," Ganondorf snapped. Zelda thought she could see beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. "You were still drawn to me. You still sought me out. You still wanted me, Zelda. You cannot deny that," he ended harshly. Ganondorf, arms crossed, continued to look down on her with that smoldering glare she was so used to. She peeked back up at him beneath the hood of her cloak and images of the night before came to her mind...

"No I can't deny it" Zelda conceded with a soft sigh, trying to push away thoughts of him, his kiss, his touch. "There are true feelings between us. I can believe that what I feel for you is real, but I cannot turn my eyes away from the truth."

"You cannot turn away from the truth of what your heart desires!" Ganondorf did not sound like himself as he argued with her. As Zelda searched his face, she realized that something was different about him. For the first time Zelda sensed fear coming from Ganondorf. Was he afraid to lose her?

"Yes I can. I have to." Zelda's stomach dropped as she saw Ganondorf visibly wince, as if her words had hurt him physically. But she continued on, ignoring the pain in her own chest. "My heart is not infallible. My heart is weak and flawed. I have no choice but to listen to reason, Ganondorf. I am the bearer of _Wisdom!_ My heart cannot rule me. I must rule my heart."

"How sad for you, Zelda, to reject your heart, throw away the ones who would care for you and to only follow blind reason. I pity you for being a slave to duty-"

"Stop!" Zelda interrupted him. His pity for her past had only brought them closer. Pity from her enemy was dangerous. "I will not let you pity me. You call me blind, but I am not a girl who can let herself be swept up carelessly. I am a woman who has an entire kingdom depending on me to make wise decisions and thus far, I feel as though I have failed them. My choice to let Zant invade might not have been for the best. It is debatable, but you...every single move I have made with you has been a mistake."

"Do not say that," Ganondorf pleaded. It was grating to her ears to hear the desperation hiding behind his harsh tones. The King of Evil never begged, but here he was sacrificing his dignity for her sake. "You know that we are bound together by fate. There is more than just lust and a fleeting fantasy between us. I love you, Zelda."

Thunder rumbled in the sky as the throne room was filled with the brilliant flash of lightning. Zelda shivered beneath her cloak and was grateful for the shawl that was still wrapped carefully around her face. She did not want him to see her falter as those words, declaring his love, threatened to break her. It was what her foolish heart wanted to hear, but she could not, would not even for a second consider giving in to him. Besides, was the burning between them even love?

"I don't think that you do," Zelda calmly replied, answering her own inner musings. "You only believe that you love me. You do not love me as you think you do. You want all of this and only this." Zelda gestured to the empty throne behind them.

"You are so quick to deny me," Ganondorf muttered as he dared to take a step closer to Zelda. She could see frustration written on his features as he came towards her. "Do you believe that I am capable of love?"

"I believe that you are capable of a great many things, but they are terrible things." Zelda allowed herself to step into his presence. It would be the last time she would ever allow herself to come close to him again.

"Can a man who is capable of so much evil truly be able to love?" Zelda's voice was soft and low as she reached out and let her fingers rest on his chest. Ganondorf gazed down at her fingers and brought up his own hand to cover hers.

"I cannot say for certain," she whispered as she watched him reaching up to grasp her fingers. "But I know that I will not be the one to discover the answer. I can't be." Zelda's hand slid down just moments before Ganondorf could touch her. She buried her hand back into the folds of her cloak. Ganondorf watched with dismay as she withdrew from his touch.

"I would have all of you even if it meant having nothing else," Ganondorf promised darkly. Neither one stepped away. They lingered in another's presence. Zelda considered his words for a moment, but she could see that he was lying to himself.

"No," was her gentle reprimand. "You will not have Hyrule, and you will not have me."

Another flash of lighting cut the sky and the thunder responded, drowning out the sound of Ganondorf's bitter laughter.

"I already did." Ganondorf let his hand rest where Zelda's hand had rested, savoring her last touch. "And you were willing and ready. To turn from me now is to deny your true feelings. Your thoughts are clouded by regret. The sun will set, a new day will rise, and you will feel differently. You will come back to me, and I will open my arms to you." He sounded so earnest, so sure that this was just a lover's quarrel. Zelda wanted to slap him to his senses, to make him see that she was not acting like a flighty, frightened deer. How could she make him understand?

"I do feel regret, but not for the reasons that you assume. I already told you, my feelings for you are undeniable but you are my enemy. The kingdom of Hyrule is suffering because of you and I cannot be held in the arms of the one who makes my people suffer. I will not stand by and let my home crumble and fall because I turned my back on them for a shallow love. You must understand this. You must let me go."

"I will never let you go!" Ganondorf jumped forward, faster than Zelda could move and his hands wrapped tightly around her arms. He pulled her close, close, closer until his face was inches from hers. Zelda cried out, thinking that he was going to kiss her or hurt her. But he stopped short and his wild eyes pierced into her.

"Do you not understand?" Ganondorf hissed, his lips inches from hers. "I have floundered through countless years, countless forms and re-incarnations, and have met you in every form you have taken. It is only now that I realize that we are destined to be." His vice-like grip on her arms loosened and the fire in eyes cooled. Zelda could only stare at him, frozen in place. As he spoke again, his voice changed. He was agitated but there was that plea in his tone again and Zelda's knees shook. "The Hero is always our destiny as well; my enemy and your ally, but the draw of Power and Wisdom so more intricate, more complex than that of Courage. Zelda, I will not let you go so easily. Please do not do this." Ganondorf implored, searching Zelda's half-hidden face for any sign of mercy or change.

Zelda pulled herself from Ganondorf's grip. Instead of being angry that he had grabbed her against her wishes, Zelda's heart broke for him. She may have closed off her heart to him, but his still beat for her. This conversation needed to come to an end. Zelda had already stayed here, arguing with Ganondorf for far too long. She should have stated her intentions and then left instead of trying to rationalize and make him see her way. Ganondorf would not ever be convinced, and neither would she. Zelda reluctantly pulled down the scarf and allowed her whole face to be seen. She could not hide behind the false safety that scarf brought her. She was going to end this now, and she would be brave enough to show her face to him as she did.

"You may be right that we are drawn in a way that Courage cannot compare with. But since the creation of time, you and I were born to be adversaries. By whatever ruling of the supernatural or the divine, we cannot ever be anything but enemies. We are destined to fight, to always be an opposing force to each other. Our fates will forever collide, but they will never be united. Yet this one time, our destinies intertwined. For one moment, one beautiful moment in all of our history and our future, we broke that cycle. And now, at the end of it all, the cycle has to be fixed. The world must go back to the way it was before we found each other here in this field. It has to. We have no other choice. You and I will always know each other, as we have always known each other, but it will never be like this again. As much as it may break our hearts, it was never meant to be anything else. Who will accept us? Will we even be able to accept ourselves when this is all said and done and we are whisked to reality? How can we continue on together? Can I really ask the Hero to spare you so that we can live happily ever after? Do you truly think I can be content with being yours if you slay the bearer of the Triforce of Courage and force yourself onto my Throne? No…I've come to realize that whatever is between us is only a dream. Our field of gold was just a place for us to live out that dream. You do not understand how desperately I wish that I could spend forever here. If I could, I would let the world around me crumble and fade into shadow, just to stay an eternity here with you."

"Then let it." Ganondorf murmured. Defeat rang clearly in his voice. Zelda felt that perhaps, Ganondorf was conceding this fight.

"I cannot. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. I have a duty to the people of Hyrule and the goddesses above. I cannot fail them any longer. My life is forfeit if I chose you over them. I can never deny that my heart yearns for you, but I cannot call it love. Maybe someday, somewhere in time it can be. But not this moment. Not this time. Goodbye Ganondorf. I must forget you."

Without a second thought, Zelda turned on her heel and began to march out of the room. Her own words stung her like poison, so she could not imagine how they hurt Ganondorf. Also, Zelda would not give him a chance to fight back again. It was over now. Or at least she had hoped. Ganondorf's voice drifted through the room, reaching her ears and sending shivers down her spine as if the man himself had been whispering right behind her.

"You'll remember me…" he spoke, his tone soft and gentle though dangerous and unwittingly seductive to Zelda's ears. "Even if the Hero vanquishes me, you will remember me. When the summer sun shines down on you and the wind blows warm and gentle. You will be drawn to the golden field. You will sense me there with you. You will come back to feel me there. Zelda, you will want to remember how we felt…how I felt. You will never want to forget. You will always come back. You will want to remember. And even though it will never be the same…you will always come back to the field...to come back to me. Do not lie to yourself, Zelda. You cannot ever escape me."

Zelda slowly turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. The gray light of the storm cast a gloomy glow over the man that she refused to love. His mouth was pulled into a line, grim and stoic, but his golden eyes revealed his uncertainty, his desperation. He was waiting for her to reply. This speech of his was a last attempt to draw her back into his graces. Zelda could not fall prey to him again. So with one last gaze into those burning eyes that consumed her, Zelda turned away from him and exited the throne room without a word.

* * *

 **Do you guys even know how long that I've waited to post Zelda's breakup speech? That very last thing she says to Ganondorf? Let me give you a little perspective. My kid is two years old. I was pregnant with him for nine months, so that's nearly three years that he has existed. I wrote that speech FIVE MONTHS before I found out I was gonna be a mom. That's nearly four years that I have held on to this scene. It lived on my phone in a notepad and then I transferred it to a word document and since I wrote it on my work computer and they monitored the crap out of those things and I didn't want my employers knowing that I was using company time to write Zelgan fanfiction, I printed that bad boy out and it's been living on an old, crumply, coffee stained piece of paper for who knows how long. It has survived moving three times and by the grace of the goddesses, I never misplaced it. And now it feel marvelous to finally have it written out for all of my lovely readers to see.**

 **Good grief, I'm feeling really sentimental and talkative today. Thanks to all who read this chapter and have been keeping up with this story :) you guys have no idea how much it means to me to be getting this story out into the universe.**


	8. Brilliant Golden Light

**You guys! We are getting very close to the end! Just a couple more chapters...**

 **Thanks to all who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. It means more to me than y'all can imagine! Thanks for reading the latest installment of Fields of Gold, and happy reading!  
**

* * *

Heart pounding and breath shaking, Zelda rushed through the hallways of her castle, rain echoing in the silence. The normally relaxing noise was irritating and distracting to her already frayed nerves. Zelda inhaled a deep breath in an attempt to relax herself, but to no avail. That encounter with Ganondorf had set her ill at ease and now every muscle in her body was like a tightly wound spring. Zelda felt as though she were about to burst open. No amount of steady breathing would help her ease the tension now.

If the man she had just left behind was not enough of a dark cloud over her mind, Zelda had an unexplainable sense of anxiety that suddenly welled inside of her and it urged her onward. Her destination was the tower room where she had been imprisoned in those early days, now seeming like a hazy dream. She had not wished to ever return to that lonely place, but that gnawing worry she could not ignore forced her to return. With each step that brought her closer to the tower, the tension in the air grew thicker and Zelda's chest constricted with waves of fear. Even a slight tingling in her Triforce warned her that something was amiss. So she rushed to the tower and worried what could possibly go wrong now.

Zelda forced thoughts of Ganondorf and the conversation she had just walked away from far into the recesses of her mind. He was not of any importance now. He could not be. Something far more urgent was lingering on the horizon.

Zelda soon found herself hastily climbing the narrow spiral stairs of the tower to the room above. Her heart continued to beat madly inside her body as she neared the dimly lit landing. Her throat was so tightly tensed that the air could hardly pass through. Her Triforce burned as though she had just put her hand in fire. Tears from the pain stung her eyes as she stopped at the top of the stairs. The door to her room was open. That was not such a surprise that she would have left the door open, but what made Zelda pause was the noises that drifted from the supposedly empty room. Claws clicking on stone floor and wheezy breathing. Zelda tiptoed across the landing, making sure that she would not be heard in case the occupants of the room were not friendly.

Cautiously, Zelda approached the open door and peeked inside. There she saw a familiar shaggy gray beast standing over something that was lying on the floor. The beast was softly whining, his cries nearly drowned by the downpour outside. She could not quite see what it was. Zelda stepped over the threshold to get a better look. The Hero, still apparently cursed as a wolf, shuffled around the figure on the floor and Zelda saw with horror what he had been whining at.

Midna. Her once rich, dark skin was now glowing a deathly white. As little as Zelda knew about the Twili race, this drastic change in color could not be a good omen. Midna's breath rattled pitifully as her tiny chest moved slowly to bring life to her lungs. Her body lay limply on the cold floor and Zelda watched as the Hero helplessly circled his companion.

There was no time to waste. Zelda crept quietly into the room and knelt on the hard stone floor. She brought her gloved hand to rest on Midna's shaking shoulder. The wolf snapped his head up in surprise at Zelda's sudden presence. The three of them were silent for a long moment before a weak voice emerged from the dying Twili.

"Please...please tell me...how do we break the curse on this one?" Midna breathed between gasps. Zelda lifted Midna's frail hand and held it in her own, hoping that that warmth from her own hands would seep into her icy fingers. Zant must have done this, Zelda guessed as she recalled how Ganondorf hinted at sending him on a mission. If anyone knew how to truly harm a Twili, it could only have been another member of that race.

"This...is the one...you need him to save your world!" Midna continued, sounding as if every syllable brought her pain to speak. "That's why...Princess...please...You must help Link…"

Zelda's fingers tightened their grip on the Twili's hand as that name spilled from her mouth. Link. Now Zelda finally knew the Hero's name. Zelda could have choked on the irony. The Hero was called Link. Just as her name was Zelda. And the Bearer of Power was Ganondorf. Their names had not differed throughout the years. They remained the same. Nothing would ever change for the three souls. An invisible cord wound through their fates, tying them together for eternity. Zelda looked up from Midna and gazed at the Hero, at Link. She had to put these thoughts out of her mind, for this was not the time to dwell on their inescapable fate. Hyrule needed the Hero, and Zelda's duty now was to help Link.

Zelda lifted her left hand, her palm facing the shaggy beast, and watched in awe as the Triforce glowed golden through her glove in the presence of Courage. It had never had such a physical reaction with Power, even with the strong bond between them. Courage called to her in a different manner, almost like a friend returning to her after an endless separation. Though, this reunion was shrouded by a dark presence. A familiar evil coursed through the Hero's veins. This was the power of Zant, of Ganondorf. It had the same tenor as the Twilight curse that once choked the life from Hyrule. Zelda felt it now, concentrated on the crown of the Hero's beastly head.

"What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of Twilight. It is an evil power," Zelda explained somberly as she slowly lowered her hand. Zelda tilted her head up slightly and found that the Hero was gazing back at her, his intense blue eyes shining through the gray fur. Was it her imagination or could she see fear reflecting back at her in those wolf's eyes?

"Our world is one of balance," Zelda continued in a hushed voice. "Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil." Even as those words left her mouth, guilt washed over her. A nasty voice whispered in her head. _"Who are you to speak about the balance of good and evil,"_ the voice taunted. Zelda inhaled sharply, willing herself to ignore the bitter words of her internal torment. The past could not distract her from the present.

Zelda leaned closer to Link, hoping that he could understand her even in his cursed form. "Head for the Sacred Grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages...the Master Sword. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch. Evil cloaks you like a dark veil...and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it."

After all that Zelda had endured and experienced in her captivity with Ganondorf, it was surreal to be here now, explaining where to find the ancient blade and calmly describing the curse that ailed the Hero. It felt like another life being lived by a different Zelda. Midna's ragged breathing interrupted her musing and Zelda's heart clenched. There was not much time left for her.

"Link...Hero sent by the goddesses…Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses…" Zelda lifted her arm and showed Link the Triforce that still glowed with a heavenly light. Most likely, Link did not know the true meaning behind those strange markings on his left hand. Zelda hoped that by showing Link he was not the only one to carry the burden of a Triforce, that it would give him the strength to complete this seemingly impossible task. She had spent her entire life as a lone bearer, wondering where Courage was hiding and dreading the resurgence of Power. She needed Link to know that he was not alone, not anymore.

Midna shifted slightly and spoke again. Her strength seemed nearly gone as she strained to even whisper. "Fine...Link...You can...You can get to the woods...on your own, right?" The wolf only whined pitifully in response. Zelda wondered about the bond between the two. Had they grown to become more than companions? Had their shared journey also brought about an unlikely friendship? The aching whines from the Hero's wolf form confirmed to Zelda that he cared for the Twili girl.

"Princess...I have one last request…" Midna's scarlet eyes trained themselves on Zelda's face. "Can you tell him where to find the Mirror Twilight?"

For a moment, only the sound of rain and Zelda's surprised gasp filled the tiny room. How could she have been so ignorant? Midna was not just a rogue Twili that had escaped Zant and Ganondorf's curse, bent on revenge against her oppressors. There was more to her than that. This sassy, bold Imp was _their Princess_. That Mirror was the greatest secret shared by the two worlds. Only the ones who ruled knew of its existence. Who else but one with Royal blood could have known about the Mirror of Twilight?

"Midna...I believe I understand now just who and what you are…" Zelda moved closer to Midna, calm and cool on the surface, but beneath was an unseen storm of emotions. Her mind was racing to come up with a solution on how to save the Princess, and only one could come to mind...

"Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead…These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty." Zelda admitted humbly. In the beginning of this battle, Zelda had chosen to let the invaders take over her home and her kingdom. Back then, she had placed her full trust in the will of the goddesses and vowed to do all that she could to free Hyrule and to help the Hero in his quest. How had she fallen so far from her promises? Hyrule deserved far better than the woman she had become under the influence of the field and its creator. Zelda knew that at one point in her life, before the Twilight and the field and Ganondorf, she had been what Hyrule needed. But now after all that had happened, she was not so sure now.

Was this an opportunity from the goddesses to prove that Zelda was still the Princess that Hyrule needed? Was this an opportunity to redeem herself? Zelda spared one last glance at the dying Twili at her knees and Zelda felt shame at those thoughts. How could she think of herself as this moment in time? This could not be about her mistakes. This moment was for Midna and for Link all the citizens of Hyrule who were desperate for liberation. Her next, and final, act could not be about herself. It could not even be _for_ herself. It was going to be for them. Midna. Link. Her people.

Zelda took a deep breath and thought of the one person that would be betrayed by this act. It would be unforgivable in his eyes, but she had already said her goodbyes to him. Their bond was already shattered. Now it would be irreparable.

"Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you…" Zelda wrapped her hands around Midna's thin wrist and concentrated on the three glowing triangles on her hand. She willed her energy, her very own life force to flow from her soul to Midna. Zelda prayed to the goddesses that this would work. She prayed that Midna would survive. She prayed that the Twili could use this gift to move freely in the light. Hyrule needed a Hero and the Hero needed the Twilight Princess. Only they could be the hope for Hyrule now. Zelda, as their Princess, wanted to do all that she could to help them, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.

Brilliant golden light flowed through her to Midna. The paleness faded as the inky tone of her skin began to return. Her haggard expression turned to one of amazement mixed with shock. Link backed away as a glowing Midna floated into the air.

"No! Link! Stop her!" Already her voice sounded so much stronger, so much more authoritative. Zelda smiled sadly as she relished in this rapid transformation into the Midna that she was used to. Even as her life force slipped from her body, Zelda was glad to see Midna return. She gazed upwards at the illuminated Twili. Their eyes met. Scarlet and Blue. Midna's tiny hand slipped from her grasp as she felt her own body begin to grow transparent. Everything felt so...light. Zelda wondered if death was supposed to feel so peaceful and painless...like floating on water.

As Zelda's vision began to fade to darkness, her last thoughts turned to Ganondorf. His touch. His voice. His warmth. Those moments in time she allowed herself to remember as she slipped into nothingness. Zelda did not fear the growing darkness. This was a fate that she gladly accepted. Still... _he_ was one who had managed to cheat death and resurrect countless times. If it was the goddesses will, Zelda hoped to find her way to the light once more and to awaken to a better world.

* * *

" _That damned fool…"_ A heated whisper was only heard by a furious King that paced the tile floor of an empty throne room. The strange, translucent orange sky glowed eerily through the tall open windows of the cavernous room. Sharp golden eyes cut a hateful glare to the barrier. It had been days since he had forced that thing to surround the castle. His enemies were gaining strength. Nobody was to enter. Nobody was to leave. There could be no risk of invasion. Or escape.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Never straying too far from the throne, behind which was a massive sculpture of three unearthly beautiful women. The Royal Family's homage to the goddesses. A marble replica of the complete Triforce was erected at the top, placed on the shoulders of the carved goddesses. Ganondorf did not spare a glance to that thing. It was an eyesore. He did not rest easy when he glanced at the faces of the goddesses, their eyes bearing down on him with judgement and shame as they guarded a certain Princess that hovered in the air before them. He could not bear to look at her either. The sight of the Princess hanging in the air like a limp doll only fueled his rage.

"Damn you," he breathed through gritted teeth, though the fire in his words did not reflect in his tone. Rather, he sounded hollow, defeated, like a pathetic, heartbroken man. He did not know who he cursed; himself for being weak or the woman who had stolen his affections.

Ganondorf knew that it was more complex than a simple story of a man losing his senses over a woman. The Princess had never stolen his affections. She had been entirely unwilling to his advances in the beginning. In truth, he was the one who stole her heart. Ganondorf could not blame the fallout of their union and his heartbreak on the girl. He was the one to blame, if there was one to blame. If it had not been for his relentless pursuit of her and his desires to be with her, then Ganondorf might have never fallen for the Princess. If she had stayed a distant prisoner instead of his lover, then perhaps Hyrule would be in his grasp by now.

But that was not how their fate in this story was to be. Ganondorf breathed deeply, closing his eyes to block out the orange sky that reminded him of his failures, and basked in the memories of his short time with her. Truthfully, he would not have traded a quick victory for their time together. For the first time, he had been distracted in his goal of conquering Hyrule. Those feelings for the Princess had always been a part of him, dormant and denied since the beginning of existence. It was just this particular woman who had truly awakened his desires. She was the one that he could not deny, yet it was her who was so quick to deny him.

Not long after she had left him alone in the throne room, the bitterness of her speech still lingering in the air, Ganondorf had gone looking for her. It was his intent to find her and try to convince her to change her mind. Bring her to her senses and make her realize that she was just giving into fear of the unknown. Their union was the beginning of an incredible new destiny! How could Zelda blind herself to the truth, Ganondorf had wondered as he searched the empty rooms of the castle. He had even gone so far as to climb his way up the spiral staircase and check the room that had once been her prison, but it was suspiciously empty.

When Ganondorf descended the tower staircase, there was a quiet uproar from the remaining Twili spreading through the castle. Something strange had been discovered in the throne room. Instinctively, Ganondorf knew that it had to be her. The rumors of spotting a recovered Midna, fully immersed in the light and riding away on a wolf's back, were whispered to him by witnesses. They saw no sign of the Princess. Ganondorf raced to the throne room, wondering what she had done this time and how many times she met with the Twilight Princess and the Hero in secret? And when he saw the lifeless body lying at the foot of her very own throne, Ganondorf's heart turned cold.

He had been betrayed. The details of what happened between the Princess and her two troublemakers, Ganondorf would never know, but reports from Zant confirmed that the Twilight Princess was attacked and weakened. She was supposed to be close to death. Now she was recovered and apparently immune to the fatal sun. So the cursed Princess had become stronger and the Princess of Hyrule was now dead at his feet. Ganondorf guessed at what she had done in order to save Midna.

The Princess had chosen duty over desire. She had threatened to do as much, but Ganondorf had wanted to believe that she was just spewing hot air and would return to his arms soon enough. It was his foolish mistake to underestimate her and to write off her rejection as irrational fears that he could wipe away. The Princess had been deadly serious when she told him that they would not meet again. Did she die just to escape him?

As much as Ganondorf wanted to believe that she had given her life as an act of rebellion, he knew better. He knew her better. In the end, in every story, in every lifetime, Zelda gave all that she could to defend her kingdom and aid the Hero in his quest. Zelda's destiny was to vanquish evil and stand on the side of goodness and love. She had not done this simply to cause him pain and to escape her fear. Zelda had ultimately done this for him. The Hero. She always chose him in the end. Ganondorf cursed once more as waves of jealousy coursed through him. That damn boy had always stolen everything he desired.

Ganondorf stopped his pacing and dared himself to look upon the face of the woman he had once cared for. Still cared for, if Ganondorf allowed himself to be honest. It did not matter what she had accused him of in their last encounter. Ganondorf did truly love her and he knew that she wanted to love him. The way she allowed herself to be held by him, to relax in his arms, to be eager to return his kisses…

That woman was lying to herself if she believed that she did not also truly feel something for him. He had seen it in her gazes as they spent time together. Those dazzling blue eyes would gaze up at him, bright and smiling, and they would pierce his soul. He did not imagine that somebody so flawless could exist in this world. It was not just her beauty that captured his heart, for there was far more to her than that, but it was also her wit and wisdom and soul...to Ganondorf, the Princess was an angel walking the earth. To see the woman he had unknowingly loved for a lifetime eagerly accept his company was indescribable. Why had ne not allowed himself to love her sooner? Then they might have had more time together before their destinies became too complex and blood-stained. That was a truth that had shadowed their time together. Ganondorf forced himself to forget it, but obviously, she could not. At times, those enchanting eyes would grow dark and she would quickly look away, furrowing her brow. The conflict would play out on her graceful features and Ganondorf would silently watch as she glanced back at him, this time suspicious and unsure. It would pass as he eased her back into conversation and eventually a heated embrace….

Now, he ached for her to gaze at him once more.

That dark cloud of doubt was something he had been desperate for her to overcome. He saw her eagerness and her suspicion. Ganondorf fought to break that caution she clung to and to release the woman beneath, to free her and allow herself to completely return his affections without hinderance. He had been so close to his goal. That night they spent together...Ganondorf believed that he had finally won her over. The apprehension she had shown the following morning, her game of pretend and ignoring him as he dressed, was understandable. She needed time to adjust perhaps, but the complete rejection of his love was far too extreme. He would have done anything to win her back. He would have torn world apart just to make her see that he belonged to her but…

Zelda made her choice.

Ganondorf stared upwards, letting his eyes take in every detail of Zelda's pristine image. Even in death, he found it hard not to be entranced by. From the way her head titled to the side and how her features were pulled into a serene mask, she seemed as though she were merely resting.

Ever since she had been found in the throne room, Ganondorf vowed not to let her out of his sight. It had been days since he left that empty, lonely room. The Twili beings, who had been fearful of him before, refused to enter his presence. Even his most loyal follower Zant made himself scarce these days. Ganondorf's fury was constantly boiling beneath a fragile surface, ready to explode at the smallest infraction. Besides, it did not matter to him what those Twili creatures and that damned foolish Zant let him be. He preferred to be left alone, drowning in his anger and disappointment and guarding Zelda on his own.

It would not be long now before the Hero came back. Zant had already returned to the Twilight World on his orders to thwart the Hero and Midna in her own kingdom. He knew that it was a useless task. The Hero would defeat Zant and then they would be one step closer to their final battle with the greatest evil.

Ganondorf marched to the throne and settled himself into the stolen seat. His golden eyes spared another glance up at the Princess and he felt as though his heart would wrench in two. When he was victorious, then he would find a way to bring her back and they would start over from the beginning. Zelda would have nothing holding her back when she returned. Until then, Ganondorf was King. This throne belonged to him. Victory was so close, he could almost taste it in the stale air that suffocated him beneath the barrier. Zelda would be his. Hyrule would be his. Even the pieces of Triforce that had evaded him so long long would finally belong to him.

The Hero would face him soon, and this time, everything would be different.


	9. You'll Remember Me

**It is here. The final chapter. Happy Reading!**

* * *

"Welcome to my castle…"

The Hero was here. The end of it all was now.

At long last, the perilous journey had brought the Hero to his final fight. And Ganondorf was ready for it. After nearly an entire year of planning and scheming and losing, the battle that would define a victor and loser was looming on the horizon. A sickening excitement gripped him. Bitter words had already been exchanged. Ganondorf allowed himself a speech to the Hero and his Impish companion. He was through with pointless exchanges now. Ganondorf stood to his feet, sword already gripped in his hands, reeling in the rush of bloodlust preparing him for the impending battle.

He spared one last glance to the Princess, hovering lifelessly above the throne. "Yes, try and deny me," Ganondorf threatened darkly to his opponents. "You and your little friend."

With those words, Ganondorf called upon a strange and dark magic of his own creation. His body split into a thousand pieces and flew upwards, right towards Zelda's body. It was a strange sensation as his consciousness filled a body that did not belong to him, but he refused to feel regret or shame at his act. Ganondorf forced his mind to invade every inch of this new host body, seizing control over the muscles and the mind. The sensation of a hand, small and delicate, grazing his cheek was the first thing he felt in Zelda's body. Only seconds passed before Ganondorf commanded his newfound eyes to open.

Two scarlet orbs met his gaze, fear and concern spilling over. In an instant, those red eyes changed to shock. Midna flew back from him as he pushed her away with a surge of unseen energy. The Twilight girl hit the stone floor, falling hard just beyond the boundaries of the throne room. Ganondorf watched as the Hero ran to Midna's side. That would not do, he mused. Ganondorf immediately threw up a barrier, separating the two. This first fight would be between just the two of them.

Ganondorf's feet touched the floor and he marched to where the Hero stood by the barrier, his back to him, still worrying over the girl beyond the barrier.

" _Shadow has been moved by light indeed..."_ Ganondorf's words from before echoed through his mind. He could not help the waves of bitterness that washed over him as he watched the two, trying to force images of his own companion from his mind. The Hero must have sensed his nearing presence, for the boy suddenly whirled around and locked his eyes on what was most likely a horrid sight to him.

"Both of you faithless fools who would dare to take up arms against the King of Light and Shadow," he barked out hoarsely, his voice mingling in a terrible, grating way with Zelda's. Ganondorf twirled Zelda's rapier in his hands, The Hero pulled out his own sword, the Master Sword, and took a fighting stance. It was not surprising that he would choose to fight. It was actually welcome. Ganondorf was itching to fight. He had spent far too many days in the background, wandering around the quiet castle and playing in the field with Zelda. This moment was what he was made for.

"So you choose. And so you shall feel my wrath," Ganondorf declared, rising into the stale air, preparing for their first battle. Bright energy formed in his hands, spreading through his fingertips and to the sword. He raised his arm in the air, gathering power, and then threw the blast of energy to the Hero. The boy quickly rolled to the left, easily dodging the attack. Ganondorf gritted his teeth and drew upon his power to send another blast the boy's way.

" _How dare you…"_

A voice whispered from the depths of his consciousness. Ganondorf balked at the suddenness of Zelda's presence. He had not expected her to remain inside of her evacuated body.

" _Yes Ganondorf, I'm still here,"_ Zelda's somber voice answered to his unspoken confusion. _"And since you are invading my body, I know your every thought."_ Her words turned accusing and a surge of anger rose within him, but it did not belong to him. It belonged to her.

"You're angry with me," he whispered tentatively back to the vastness of their combined conscious.

" _You violate me in the worst way,"_ Zelda vehemently hissed with bitterness that Ganondorf had not ever heard from her. _"You use my body to fight the Hero, to fight Link. In life, you claimed to love me but now you use me as a puppet to carry out your wicked deeds. Even for you, this act is vile and shocking."_

Ganondorf took a moment to focus on his fight with the Hero. The boy skillfully dodged his attack, sending Ganondorf's own deadly blast of dark energy back at him. Caught off-guard by Zelda's resurgence, the attack hit Ganondorf square in the chest. Painful waves of energy coursed through the stolen body, though only he felt the pain. Zelda fell silent in his mind and the attack subsided. Ganondorf backed away from Link and for a moment, the two enemies were at a standstill. Through Zelda's eyes, Ganondorf took a moment to properly examine this new incarnation of the Hero, with his all-too familiar blue eyes, blonde hair, and hateful scowl directed at him. Anger surged through him once again, this time it was his own.

That feminine whisper in his head was back. _"Jealousy?"_ Zelda inquired within. _"You're jealous of Link?"_ The bite was gone from her voice, replaced by a pitying tone that Ganondorf detested.

"How could I not be?" Ganondorf admitted with a bark, irritated that stabs of jealousy had leaked through his defenses, allowing his true feelings to be transparent. He had not wanted to her know that he still carried a torch for her. Now that Zelda knew, Ganondorf could not help the thoughts that spilled out of his mind and into hers.

"Once again, you chose that damn boy over me. You left me, Zelda." Though he despised the sorrow in his words, Ganondorf allowed it. He wanted her to feel his hurt. "You would have rather given your life to help him than to spend your life with me. You killed yourself to escape me."

" _It was more complicated than that,"_ Zelda stated firmly, deliberately keeping emotion at bay. No remorse. No apology. Once again, siding with her Hero.

"Then you gave me no choice," he huffed. " I will show you the same consideration that you showed me. You got your wish, Zelda. Now we are enemies."

" _You don't truly mean that."_ The shades of pity deepened as she spoke. _"In your heart, you still cling to to the dream of you and I, ruling Hyrule together. Even after all of this, you cannot deny what your heart desires."_

"Fine then. You are right, you and your damned blessing of Wisdom have thwarted me once again, oh mighty Princess," Ganondorf spat. "While your cold heart refuses to accept love, I cannot dismiss my feelings as easily as you can. I refuse to deny myself the things that I want."

" _I have no choice. You know this, but your lust for me refuses to see reason. For us to be together is a disaster for the both of us. You gave me no choice but to choose Link over you."_

"You are wrong. You have a choice. Your destiny can be controlled by your own two hands, not by the whims of some unseen goddesses! Just how you saved yourself from that man who murdered your parents, you can break free of the chains that bind you. Break free and refuse to be a slave to duty, to the goddesses, to that boy you do not even know. Be free, and be with me."

For a long while, Zelda remained silent. Taking advantage of the moment, Ganondorf focused all of his might on the floundering battle with the Hero. The end was dangerously near. During the course of the argument with Zelda, Ganondorf found himself distracted. Blow after blow had been sent back his way, striking him and weakening his strength. The borrowed body was about to give way. Ganondorf could not help but wonder if Zelda was arguing with him on purpose, intentionally sabotaging his fight, trying to force him to lose…

" _How has this rebellion served you, Ganondorf?"_

Those words, spoken with unexpected tenderness and curiosity, gave him pause. Defeat was the damning answer that came to his mind, but he dared not voice that to her. So he remained stoic and refused to answer. In response to his silence, Zelda's voice questioned him once more.

" _What has it brought you other than despair and death?"_

This time her question to him was more accusing, speaking truth to the unspoken answer that Ganondorf wished he erase from his thoughts. He forgot that he was not safe in his own mind. Zelda had surely sensed what he had been feeling. As frustrating as it was for her to be correct, it was undeniable that he had failed time and again in his "rebellion" as she put it. In all of his endless years of struggling against the goddesses, it had all truly been in vain.

"What has duty brought you?" He countered angrily, casting aside Zelda's accusations. "How has slaving away for the goddesses served you?"

Zelda did not respond right away. Ganondorf could nearly picture her, if she were in her physical body. In his mind's eye, her brows were furrowed into an elegant, yet endearing frown on her lovely face. Perhaps she never noticed the way she would ever so slightly wrinkle her nose when concentrating on a difficult thought. He basked in that image of her for a moment, wishing that she was near, wishing to touch her face…

" _I chose the burden of carrying the Triforce,"_ Zelda's calm reply broke into his fantasy. _"I chose faith in the goddesses. I chose to stand with the Hero. I chose to be loyal to my duty to Wisdom. This has brought me peace. Satisfaction. Fulfillment. Yes, I did die as a result, but it was my choice. Your deaths have never been your choice. They were all forced upon you, a direct result of your rebellion. There is no honor in that. I gave my life. Yours was taken."_

"So what do I mean to you, then? Was I just a mistake that brought you nothing but anguish?"

" _A mistake, yes. You were a mistake that weighed heavily on my soul, but you brought me far more than just anguish…"_

"Why then-" He tried to argue, desperate to draw her into a conversation one last time, but her voice calmly interrupted his final plea.

" _I needed to let you go."_ Zelda spoke, for once allowing the sadness to sweep over her words. Ganondorf was caught off-guard. For half of a second, he paused in his attacks against Link, letting himself wonder what the sadness in her voice meant. Was it regret for leaving him? Regret over her actions with him? Even as those thoughts crossed his mind, no doubt heard by her, Ganondorf's stolen body suddenly shook with the force of an attack, one he had sent flying at the Hero only seconds before. Pain coursed through him and Ganondorf slowly fell to the floor. Energy pierced every inch of his skin Even as he cried out in agony, Zelda's voice softly drifted through the haze of terror.

" _You must do the same. Please. Let me go." T_ eeth gritted and jaw clenched, Ganondorf growled a single word, the only one he could manage.

"No." He strained to speak, his groaning voice unheard by the hero, unheard by the Twili Princess, only heard by the presence in his mind. But all Ganondorf heard in response was silence. The Princess was gone. His knees hit the stone floor. Ganondorf heaved air in and out of his lungs, still suffering from the final attack but clinging to Zelda's body, hoping to hear her one last time…

Ganondorf did not see the barrier fall, but he sensed it. He sensed the enormous power that emanated from the tiny Twili girl. Ganondorf managed to lift his eyes in time to see Midna transform into the power of the Fused Shadow. In vain, he shakily lifted his hand to fend off her attack, but it was no use. Glowing arms of black and blue and shadow barreled towards him, enveloping him in the ever-suffocating Twilight. Her attack pushed him back and threw him onto the throne. Shadow pierced his skin and began to painfully force him from Zelda's body. It was useless to resist. Ganondorf knew that once he was gone from Zelda, he would have to move into his next plan of attack. But as the last visages of Ganondorf's soul was ripped from the Princess, he felt a foolish rush of excitement. He would see her again. Soon.

It was as simple as waking up; the gentle prodding of wakefulness and the heavy feeling of being pulled from slumber. A fullness swelled into her as Zelda returned to her rightful body. The dark entity that occupied her body only seconds before was washed away by the cleansing power of shadow. Her lungs expanded as Zelda drew in her first breath in weeks. As she let out the gentle rush of air, a simple word caught her attention.

* * *

"P-Princess?"

A small hushed voice wafted through the air, sounding muffled and distant to the newly hearing ears of the Princess. Slowly, carefully, Zelda opened her heavy eyes. Soft light poured into her vision, gently blinding her for a moment, but then the shadowy form of Midna came swimming into view.

"Say nothing, Midna." Zelda calmly assured the Twilight Princess.

"Your heart and mine were one, for however briefly…" Zelda's voice trailed off into silence and she closed her eyes as she recalled the ordeal that they had both been through. Even though a part of Zelda remained within her own body, captive in her castle under Ganondorf's watch, there was traces of her soul that lived within Midna. Whenever Zelda had given her life force to heal the dying girl, she had allowed a small portion of herself to slip into Midna's soul. Her thoughts and emotions and very movements were shared between them, unknowingly to Midna. In the hazy world where Zelda has existed, she felt the depth of pain that Midna had been carrying ever since her throne was stolen, her people cursed, and forced into this terrible battle.

"Such suffering you have endured." Zelda opened her eyes once more. Midna gazed back at her, scarlet eyes fixated on her face. She watched as those eyes, so bright and wild, grew heavy with pain. It was as if Midna had been waiting all these long, difficult days for somebody to acknowledge the ordeal she had been through; as if she had been desperate for somebody to see past her facade of bravery and sass and to see the vulnerability beneath. Zelda wanted to reach out and touch her, but her eyes caught sight of somebody else lingering in the background.

Link.

Zelda's heart caught in her throat and she hesitantly moved towards him. The pounding in her ears was nearly deafening. This was the first time that she was seeing the Hero of Old in his natural form. There was an aching familiarity about the young man that stood sheepishly before her. Even though, in a sense, she had spent weeks with him and Midna, quietly living in Midna's soul, the sense of familiarity she had with Link was far deeper than those interactions. She was merely a stranger, watching from the outside then, but now, she could speak with him herself. As she grew closer to the young man, Zelda saw something in his ocean blue eyes that made her wonder if he felt the same.

But even as Zelda came near Link, the atmosphere in the throne room shifted. The soft expression in Link's eyes changed to the cold, determined glare of a fighter. Zelda whirled around only to see the ghastly face of Ganondorf swirling in a strange cloud of smoke and ash. His face was unrecognizable; the features were morphed as if all of the incarnations of Ganon were twisted into a mask of pure rage and hatred. This was not the same man she had known in the field.

The pair both stepped away from the growing entity. Zelda's mind raced with plans of attack, plans of escape, plans of how to face the next battle. Midna, however, seemed to be one step ahead of them. She took a deep, steadying breath before locking her eyes onto Ganondorf. Pieces of Fused Shadow circled around her, preparing to fuse together and give Midna the strength to fight this enemy. Link saw what she was about to do and Zelda watched helplessly as the Hero dashed towards his companion. There was nothing that either of them could do to stop her. Link's fingertips were a breath away from touching Midna's back when Zelda felt a strange tug on her body. Suddenly, her body burst painlessly into dozens of black particles. Her vision went black, but her mind still thankfully remained. Before she could understand what was happening, Zelda and Link were both suddenly standing in a field bathed in true twilight. Midna had forced them to escape. She used that tiny window of opportunity to send them to safety before she took a turn with Ganondorf. A thunderous crash sounded in the distance and they both quickly turned to see the source of the noise.

The sky glowed with a glorious golden light but Hyrule Castle loomed like a dark shadow on the horizon. In horror, the Princess and the Hero stood silently in the field, unable to do a single thing as the walls of the castle crumbled into dust. With each and every piece of rubble that fell to the ground, a piece of Zelda's heart also broke. The tears would not come. The screams that raged inside her head refused to leave her silent mouth. Her body was numb though her inner self raged. All she could do was bring her hand up to her racing heart and stare at the devastation.

And then he emerged from the dust, mounted on a dark and wicked looking beast with red eyes. The horse reared up into the air, black smoke billowing behind the dark duo on the hill, and Ganondorf raised his hand. Zelda gasped in shock when she saw what he had in his grip. Even from far away, Zelda knew what that was; Midna's signature stone helmet, the part of the Fused Shadow that she wore on her vibrant orange locks. Grief washed over her likes waves, drowning her in sorrow deeper than that of losing her home. How could Midna have lost?

Beside her, Zelda felt Link lunge forward and also gasp as he realized what he was looking at. From far away, Ganondorf's hand shook as his grip on the Fused Shadow tightened and the stone broke into pieces. The bits of Fused Shadow dropped onto the ground as Ganondorf pulled out a vicious looking, glowing sword. He sharply pulled the reins and his horse reared up once again before its hooves crashed into the dirt and charged at them.

Link lifted the sword in his left hand to brace himself for battle, but Zelda laid her hand on his. He looked at her curiously, but she only nodded wordlessly at him. Zelda knew exactly what she needed to do. When she had given up her life force, Zelda shifted between the world of the living and the world of spirits. She knew where to find the help that her and the Hero so desperately needed. Though the sound of Ganondorf's warhorse and his battle cry grew nearer, Zelda calmly raised her hands to her heart and reverently closed her eyes to call on the spirits.

"Spirits of the Light. Wielders of the great power that shines wide upon the lands of our world…" Zelda prayed, her voice clear and confident. The furious pounding of heavy hooves raced towards them, closing the gap second by second. His presence, seething with violence and blind fury, was so near to her now.

"In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!" Zelda called out, hoping that the spirits would hear her plea. As soon as she spoke, Ganondorf was upon them, nearly trampling them under his horse. She could feel the air behind her head swish as the blade came swinging down, but in an instant, she and the Hero vanished.

All around them, Hyrule faded away. The world of the living dissolved into the glowing world of spirits. Beneath her feet, the ground turned to a shimmering lake of liquid light. The spirits erupted from the lake and converged around Zelda, swirling and dancing light, their forms merging into one burst of radiance. As the light faded, the spirits were replaced with three golden arrows.

Yet though all of that, Zelda's eyes remained closed, still praying but this time to the goddesses. The moment weighed heavily on her soul. Once she and Link left this protective world of spirits, then they would face the evil together. Slowly, Zelda opened her eyes. Before her stood the Hero.

"Link..." Zelda whispered, a sad smile breaking out on her face as she addressed him formally for the very first time. "Chosen Hero!" His face lit up at the sound of her voice. That familiarity between Wisdom and Courage returned and Zelda once again wondered if he felt it too. Zelda longed to linger in that world and to speak with him, hear of his journey and his past and learn about this new Hero, but she could not. Hyrule was waiting for them. _He_ was waiting for them.

"Lend us the last of your power." The smile fell from her lips. The heaviness in her chest ached. Guilt threatened to topple her. If only he knew what she had done. What would he think of her if he learned how close to the enemy she had become? As if the weight of her choices was pushing her, Zelda bowed low before the Hero of Light.

Zelda waited a moment for him to say something, but instead she saw a pair of boots step through the light, coming near to her. She lifted her eyes and saw a gloved hand extended out to her. Through the thick leather of the gloves, Zelda spotted those three golden triangles. Without hesitation, Zelda reached out her own hand, the hand that bore Wisdom, and laid her fingers in Link's palm. Warmth spread through her fingertips, trickling down her arm, into her chest, and into her very soul. Link's presence was peaceful and safe. For the first time in ages, Zelda felt protected. The familiarity with Courage was not poisonous and volatile, as it had been with Power. It was pure and good. And it was forgiving. Zelda tilted her head up and gazed into Link's eyes. Those were the eyes of forgiveness. Forgiving took courage, and this man had plenty of that.

Still holding Link's hand, Zelda straightened her stance and took another step closer to him. She gently squeezed his fingers, wordlessly wishing him luck in his final battle. With just a thought, Zelda whisked them back into the dusky world of the living.

* * *

The goddesses knew what they needed before even they did. Zelda found herself on the back of a red horse with a pale mane. Link was seated in front of her, already holding the sword in his hand. His eyes were fixated on something in the distance. Zelda caught sight of Ganondorf, still on his horse and patiently waiting for them.

Something smooth and round was in Zelda's hand. She glanced down and saw a golden bow in her gloved hands. It was perfect for her. Zelda leaned forward and spoke into Link's ear.

"I'll try to slow Ganondorf down with my light arrows. You target him and keep him within range of my light arrows!" The Hero nodded and tugged on the reins, sending his horse galloping towards Ganondorf. In a way that seemed oddly cowardly, Ganondorf turned his horse around and began to ride it hard away from them. Link pursued relentlessly. His horse sailed over the ground and quickly caught up with Ganondorf. An arrow was poised in her fingers. She fumbled as she tried to place the slender object on the thin string. Zelda raised the bow in her arms and balanced herself as best she could on the back of the horse. She pulled the string back, carefully taking aim where she thought his heart would be. As Zelda readied herself to strike, she felt as though she were in a dream. Her limbs were heavy and light all at once. She forced her mind to be a blank page, void of emotions and thought. But then he turned around.

Their eyes locked. Gold and blue. Zelda's hands shook as she aimed the arrow straight at Ganondorf's suddenly exposed heart. Through his furious glare, Zelda also saw shock in his face. Her stomach clenched with regret, but she let the string slip through her fingers. The bow snapped. The arrow soared. The weapon had found its mark. Ganondorf roared in pain and slumped over on his horse. Golden sparks flew from the wound, but the Gerudo pulled the arrow from his chest. Link urged his horse forward as the battle horse slowed. Zelda leaned forward into Link, holding on to him and he struck Ganondorf over and over with the sword. Ganondorf struggled to grasp his mount's reins, wincing in pain as each blow fell. Somehow he managed to steer his horse away from them and escape Link's attack. Zelda leaned away from Link and watched as he cantered away. It was as if he could sense her gaze. Ganondorf turned back and glared at her over his shoulder, his golden eyes piercing her.

" _You betrayed me again,"_ Zelda could nearly hear him growl. _"You chose him again."_ Zelda could not tell if some remnants of him remained in her conscious or if she just knew him so well that she could predict his words. Whatever it was that still tied her to his presence, Zelda had to cut it out. The pain that ripped through her as she shot an arrow into his heart could not rule her.

But it was still there. As much as she wanted to finally free her kingdom from his grip, to vanquish Twilight forever, and to defeat her age-old enemy...there still remained a piece of her heart that beat for him. Even as she shot him again and again with the golden arrows, hoping that this would be the one to topple him, Zelda could not stop her heart from wrenching each time.

She lost count of how many arrows that pierced Ganondorf's armor, and how many furious blows Link inflicted on him, but at long last, he fell. Zelda aimed an arrow at him, striking him in his shoulder and the weakened man slumped over and hit the hard ground with a thud. The horse came to a halt as Link pulled back the reins, stopping within yards of where Ganondorf and his dark horse fell. Not wasting a second, Link jumped down from the horse and marched to where his enemy was slowly standing to his feet.

Dusk faded into darkness as black clouds filled the sky. Thunder rumbled ominously and white lightning cut through the air. Ganondorf drew himself to his fullest height and threw his head back. Maniacal laughter poured from his open mouth. Link stopped in his tracks, hesitant to go forward. Zelda, now holding the reins, tightened her grip on the leather strips, watching with a mixture of disgust and regret as she saw Ganondorf's sanity unravel before her. He was no better than Zant now.

"An impressive-looking blade. But nothing more." Ganondorf's words mingled with another low grumble of thunder. He reached over his chest to unsheathe that great, glowing white sword. The wound on his chest glowed as bright as his sword. "Would you hear my desire?" He inquired. "To take this foul blade and use it to blot out the light forever."

The sky was black as night now. From her perch on top of the horse, Zelda had the perfect view of Ganondorf. For half a second, she thought that she glimpsed those golden eyes cut over to her direction, but as soon as it happened, Ganondorf was already looking away and marching menacingly towards Link. Lightning and thunder cracked the sky right above the trio and the horse reared suddenly into the air. Zelda held onto the reins and struggled to stay seated in the saddle. When the horse finally calmed down, Zelda spotted what appeared to be a golden barrier, surrounding the two fighters. Zelda moved the horse ever so closer to that barrier. It was emanating a dark energy. Surely Ganondorf had put up this barrier to keep her out, to keep her from interfering in this final fight. Not that she would have done so, not so close to the end. The Hero was destined to battle the ultimate evil on his own. Zelda peered through the barrier as best as she could and watched as the two swords clanged together, the faces of Link and Ganondorf glaring at one another as they pushed with all of their might to throw the other backwards.

War waged within the barrier. A storm threatened to break out above them. Zelda sat in tense silence, watching, waiting, and praying for the victory to be for the Hero. The harvested barley beneath their feet was trampled as they battled.

Barley.

Zelda's heart nearly stopped beating and her throat tightened. She pulled her sight away from Link and Ganondorf, frantically scanning the scenery that had gone unnoticed until now.

Sometime in her captivity, after the citizens of Castle Town were liberated and life had returned to some semblance of normalcy, the barley had been harvested. The field that had been a swaying sea of gold, was now shorn and empty. This place was now as unrecognizable as the Gerudo that battled with the Hero.

This was their field; their field of gold.

Zelda clenched her jaw, willing the tears to keep from falling from her eyes. What a glorious disaster this was. The irony of this moment was crippling. This fight to the death here in their field where so many happy moments were shared between them was just another pathetic chapter in their endless story. So she watched, forcing herself to stay neutral and numb, as Courage and Power raged on.

From what she could see, Ganondorf was terribly weakened from the previous battles. She could see Link gaining ground and coming close to victory, but somehow his adversary managed to muster just enough strength to fight him off. But only for a moment before Link was back, full of rigor and driving him to the edges of the barrier. It was a sad sight to see, Zelda lamented to herself as she continued her vigil from the outside. For someone so filled with pride and righteous indignation, certain of victory and certain of his plans for a new era, .to see him on the fringes of sanity, beaten down into the mud…

Maybe it was shameful for her to feel such pity for him, after all that he had done, but she could not help the sorrow that rushed through her. And once Link had pushed Ganondorf to the ground, his back sinking into the dirt and too weak to stand, Zelda knew that it was done. Link soared into the air, the metal point of the blade aimed directly at the glowing wound. Zelda could not look away. Even as the tip sunk into his flesh, Zelda took in every second of Ganondorf's defeat. The barrier immediately fell away. Ganondorf cried out in agony and rage. Link quickly jumped away from him, his blue eyes locked onto the suffering Gerudo at his feet. Zelda slowly made her way to the Hero's side. In his eyes she did not see bloodlust or the heat if victory. Instead, he seemed somber, as if the reality of what he has just achieved was weighing on him. She wondered what he thought of all this killing and violence. He seemed to be a gentle soul, willing to help those in need, but perhaps this journey was more than he ever bargained for…

But she did not dwell on those thoughts for long. Miraculously, Ganondorf was standing to his feet, the Master Sword still buried deep in his chest. Both Link and Zelda backed away a few feet, watching nervously as he swayed on shaking legs.

"Do not think this ends here." Ganondorf strained to speak, barking out the words in harsh tones. "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood." The threat was empty. They all knew that it was over. And even as those words left his mouth, Zelda sensed something strange pass over the trio. It was like the feeling of being swept away by a strong current, but Zelda and Link both remained where they were standing. She glanced up at Ganondorf and noticed that he was staring at his left hand, eyes wide and fearful.

Truly fearful. Deeply terrified. Then she realized what was happening. The power of the three triangles on his left hand was reverberating wildly. The light was cutting in and out, the Power weakening by the second until they faded altogether. That tugging sensation subsided and left behind a vast emptiness. Zelda could not sense anything from Ganondorf. The draw to him that had been there the second that they met so long ago in the throne room, her weakened and near death, was gone. His shoulders sagged and his ragged breathing slowed, almost seeming to melt as he felt his existence without Power for the first time in a century.

Then his woeful gaze suddenly changed. He threw his neck back and his eyes turned deathly white. Beside her, Link tensed his body, ready to spring forward in case of another attack. Yet he only stood there, still and silent until his body lurched. Then he fell heavily to his knees and Zelda knew that whatever just happened, Ganondorf was now dead.

But neither of them said a word. They stood there staring at his upright body as the wind blew over the barren field and the clouds drifted away from the sky, basking the trio in twilight. After what seemed like hours, Link suddenly whirled around and she heard the Hero gasp. She turned to see what had caught his attention.

Far on the horizon, the light spirits were dancing in the sky, their forms swirling around a single figure in the middle. Even from that distance, Link could tell who it was. Zelda could faintly make out the form of a familiar Fused Shadow. The Hero took off running to see his fallen companion. As he dashed away, Zelda mused about the nature of their relationship. They were an unlikely pair, this quiet, gentle boy and vibrant Twilight Princess. The depth of their companionship was undeniable, but as Zelda saw Link approach the newly restored Midna, she felt that there was something more between them. Something that she could understand, being a part of an unlikely pair herself. Except this one, a bond between two heroes fighting on the same side, was not marred by remorse and guilt…

Zelda peeked over her shoulder to look back at her own companion. He had fallen over, his shoulders lying in the dirt. Golden eyes gazed at her for the last time. Even in death, they still burned through her soul. Zelda swallowed a surge of emotions, but let the tears form in her eyes. She crept over to where he lay and then knelt by his side. Her hand lay on his cheek and a few tears fell onto his still warm skin.

"This was always our fate," Zelda whispered to his deaf ears. "You knew that the cycle could not be broken this way. You and I will find our way back to one another. I know that we will. It is our destiny. But maybe someday, in some future conflict, you will choose the side of goodness. Only then can we be together…" She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. A flood of memories of them together in the field came to her mind's eye. They were wonderful and dreadful. What a perfect way to describe her time with him. She had never been more miserable, and more blissful than the days she spent with him. Zelda let out a sigh and opened her eyes.

"But it was not this time," Zelda continued. "I cannot deny that is what I so desperately wished for us. I cannot deny that you have left a mark on my life that will never be washed away." Zelda leaned in close to him, not caring that Link and Midna might see her. She needed to say goodbye and lay this chapter of her life to rest. Whatever closure she could glean from this moment, it was her only chance.

"I will remember you." Zelda promised, her soft words only heard by the dust and wind.

Zelda's fingers moved over from his cheek to his eyes. Slowly, she lowered his lids over his unseeing eyes, giving him a tiny shred of decency in his death.

* * *

 _Four Years Later_

" _You'll remember me…"_

Words from days past were carried upon the evening breeze. The warmth of summer was sighing its final hazy breath before giving into the coolness of fall. The last glorious summer sunset filled the sky with a charade of pinks and oranges. Hyrule was bathed in a warm, golden glow.

" _When the summer sun shines down on you and the wind blows warm and gentle…"_

A lone stranger roamed down a dusty path through a field of soft yellow summer grass. The air gently beckoned the tall stalks to bend and sway, the field looking so much like an ocean of gold.

" _You will be drawn to the golden field…"_

Zelda stepped from the worn path and into the gentle waves of the yellow field. She wore a simple, homespun dress and soft, supple leather boots. The field before her was an endless sea of gold, broken by a small clearing where a tree, long forgotten and dead, had toppled over, leaving behind a small log upon which she sat. The log was ancient, covered in knobs and rotting bark, but for Zelda, it was a sad, familiar place.

" _You will sense me there with you…"_

She sighed deeply as she buried her face in her hands. Every summer for three summers, Zelda would dress as a commoner and walk to this field. Every summer for three summers, she promised herself that she would never come back. When the cold of winter had melted away and the storms of spring passed, she would find herself inexplicably drawn to the field. Each evening she would don her simple clothes and come to the field alone. Every night she would return to her castle, hating herself for being weak to the draw of the field. She would cry and fume, stand at the mirror and berate herself. Do not go back there, she would scold. Going back only makes it worse. You do not belong there. Forget what happened and let go of the past.

" _You will come back to feel me there…"_

Those ghostly words haunted her every waking moment. Even now, four years after the Twilight, Zelda could not get that damned voice out of her head. She could close her eyes and picture him standing in her throne room, bathed in Twilight, and darkly promise that she would never forget him.

She despised him for cursing her with his relentless memory. This lingering remembrance that burned through her soul, complicated things with a certain man; one with kind brown eyes and that had pledged to marry her in a frighteningly short number of days.

Zelda truly did love the man with brown eyes. She dearly cared for him, but when she looked into his eyes, gold burned away the brown and she could no longer see the man that she loved. Instead, she saw the face of the ghost in her dreams, menacing and powerful. Zelda saw his brow furrow, cold yet enraged at her for finding another to love.

"You chose him over me," the ghost would growl. Then Zelda would blink her eyes and the brown eyes would be back, gazing at her with concern and confusion. He would gently whisper her name, drawing her back to the present and Zelda would fall into his arms…

But she would never forget the arms that held her first.

In the years that passed since the Twilight, Zelda had worked closely, secretly with the scholar Shad. Just before Midna's abrupt departure, Link had introduced Zelda to the rag-tag team of rebels who had assisted him and Midna in their journey to victory. Shad had certainly stood out to her, with his outlandish style and comical, yet endearing persona. They had become friends, of a sort, over the last four years and Zelda had tasked him with an important mission; to find the Gerudo Tribe.

Every vital piece of information on the lost Gerudo Tribe, one that her own family had slaughtered decades before she was born, was tucked away in dusty shelves in the royal library. A few months after the liberation of Hyrule, it became of the utmost importance to Zelda to study the lost culture of the Gerudo. In her findings, she became convinced that somewhere, somehow, the Gerudo still lived on. After spending weeks locked up in the library, pouring over every book and scroll and letter learning about the Gerudo, Zelda brought her findings to Shad. The scholar had been skeptical at first, but after Zelda's insistence that they be searched for, he conceded. At first, he had been hesitant to try and unearth the old tribe that had once been a scourge to Hyrule, and had given birth to one of her greatest enemies, but Zelda had convinced him. She had no choice but to _try_ and find them. She needed to find them and to make amends for the wrongs that her family committed against them. Trying to find the Gerudo was, to her, keeping some unspoken promise to Ganondorf. He had, in some twisted way, sought to right his own wrongs against his people. In a way, weren't they working towards the same goal, even in his death?

And perhaps, it had nothing to do with an age-old stain on her past, but one that was more recent. A secret tucked away in a quiet Manor on the forested shores of Lake Hylia; one with golden eyes and bronze skin, innocent and sweet, blissfully unaware of the turmoil that brought him into existence. Everyone wondered why the Princess spent most of her time at her family's old manor, or why she had spent nearly a year living there, refusing to see anyone but the staff and a few close friends. Zelda would never tell a soul, outside of a certain circle of select people. One of the few who were privy to her darkest secrets had been convinced to help her because of that secret.

Even the kind brown eyes knew of her deepest regrets, and he still pursued her with the purest of hearts. That is why Zelda agreed to marry him. She believed that if anyone could accept even the darkest parts of her, then it was somebody worth binding herself to for the rest of her days.

And then there was the one who bore Courage. Zelda had once pondered that forgiveness took courage, and she had fought to muster the courage, after two years, to let the Hero know the truth of what happened while she stayed at the castle.

And he became a guardian of her secrets as well. Not only a guardian of her secret, but a beloved companion as well.

It made Zelda laugh now, when she thought of it. Ganondorf had promised that she would never forget him, but even this remembrance was certainly more than even he could have bargained for.

But even so, it was not just something that was for her to remember. The Gerudo needed her now, or at least that's what she and Shad believed. They needed this miraculous chance of renewing and restoring their culture.

They were no closer now to finding them now than they had been nearly three years ago, but Zelda refused to give up. If they were out there, hiding away from the eyes of the world, then they needed to be found.

Zelda gazed down and the ancient stump, amazed that it was still here after all of the years that had flown by since those days with Ganondorf. The field of gold still swayed with the rhythm of the summer wind. A brilliant sun shone down on her, illuminating the empty spot beside her. Zelda ran her fingers over the gnarled surface of the wood, allowing the memories of him to wash over her without guilt or shame. This was the only time that she thought of him without her heart breaking.

She would always feel for him. King of Evil or not, Zelda could not help the way that she had once deeply cared for him. A piece of him would always live on through her, metaphorically and physically. So he was right.

"I will remember you," Zelda promised to the barley and the sun, knowing that someday, she would meet him again. If not in this life, then surely another.

* * *

Well. It is DONE! After nearly three and a half years, this story is finally finished. Thank you to all who read. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this short story. After many, MANY long writing breaks, huge life events, and (I have to admit) a sometimes a lack of drive and passion for this story, it was a tough road, but I got there. I think that now I'm finished here, I want to start focusing 100% on my original stories. I've been writing since 2011 and after six years, I need to switch gears and focus on the growing pile of notebooks that harbor all of my outlines and notes and random nonsense for my original works. Fanfiction has been a wild ride, full of fun and learning and adventure and growth, but its time to lay it to rest for now. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reading Fields of Gold. I love you all 33333333

Ginger Sheikah


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